Secret of the Earth and Sky
by phantomdare1
Summary: Published in 2009. Sequel to Mystery of the Reverse World! Contestshipping and Vatonage! May's being chased by Team Aqua and Magma, and Norman and Caroline aren't her parents! The battle has already begun, with the assistance of Kate and several others!
1. Nice for a Start!

**The Secret of Earth and Sky- Chapter 1- Nice for a Start!**

 _A young little girl with brown hair looked eagerly at the doors of a strange center, perhaps waiting for her parents. She had been at the center for hours, but no one came. A blonde woman with curly hair knelt down beside her with sad eyes and said something she didn't understand._

 _"Mom… dad… find… hope… goodbye…"_

May jerked herself up as her forehead was bathed in cold sweat. Her eyes searched the room for something, but she couldn't find it. The creeping light of the morning sun continued to make its way to the bed of the young ten-year-old girl with brown messy hair. This was one ordinary girl, but there was something different that day.

The girl jumped from her bed and landed on her feet like a falling cat. She rushed to the brush her teeth with extra care, comb her hair neatly, and get changed from her pajamas.

She changed into a red and black polo shirt with a white undershirt and her blue shorts. She tied a red bandanna on her head and put on white and blue gloves on. After strapping on a bag around her waist, she looked at herself in the mirror. This was unusual for her to admire herself in the mirror.

"Good morning, May!"

Max was sitting at the table with their mom and dad. He wasn't in his usual criticizing behavior this morning. May was rather glad about this. Her brother was a rather understanding one sometimes.

"Morning, Max!"

She sat down for a plate of a stack of pancakes that were dripping with maple syrup. Her mom was giggling, for this day was a happy day.

"You know what Pokemon to pick?"

"Umm… Yep! I have!" May jumped in excitement. "It's gonna be a Torchic!"

"Why not a Treecko?" Max looked at his sister, who then made a face of disgust at him.

"Max," his dad looked at him. "Your sister has her own choices. Well, that's a good choice, May! Fire types may be a wild bunch, but as a gym leader, I'm sure you know how to deal with Pokemon like that."

"I think I'll leave now!" May jumped from her seat and was getting ready to get to the door. Her dad rose from his seat and followed after her.

"How about I take you on a quick trip on a Staraptor?"

"Thanks, Dad, but Brendan's waiting for me so we can walk together to his dad's laboratory."

"Okay, then."

May quickly left the door swinging.

"Whoa, I thought you would come later."

"Come on, Bren. You know that I'm not the one who oversleeps."

The two strolled side by side down the dirt path and were observing the vast groves of trees. Brendan looked up at the sky.

"So, Battles for you?"

"No, duh! Of course I'm for Battles, but… I think Contests are awesome, too."

"Oh. So you want to be like Aunt Dawn, Sinnoh Champion and Master Coordinator?"

"Yep. I'm intending to get an Eevee, like Dawn!"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot that!"

"So, Bren, what about you?"

"What else? Some extra research for Dad!"

"Can't you consider doing anything else that means competition? Like Contests?"

Brendan paused and then he just shrugged at her.

The two paced down a junction and were only a few steps away when the automatic doors opened, but May accidentally bumped into someone else with such force that all three people landed with a loud thud on the ground.

The person she had bumped into was a young boy probably her age. The boy had emerald green hair, and don't forget to mention that he had eyes that were almost the same color as his hair. He wore a purple short-sleeved jacket over his black turtleneck and a pair of blue jeans.

May was suddenly struggling to get both boys up. That was so usual of her to make embarrassing mistakes.

"Oh! I'm really really sorry!" May apologized at the green-haired boy. He only etched a little smirk, which only May noticed, gaining the slightest tinge of red on her right cheek.

Brendan was brushing off the dust of his jacket and adjusted his hat. Then he looked at the green haired boy and then to May.

"Umm… hi?" Brendan gave a nervous chuckle at the boy. The boy nodded and he was out of the door immediately. Brendan looked at his cousin and shrugged.

"What's his problem?"

"Aha! There you are!"

The two whirled around to see a young man in a lab coat. He was merely an assistant, but not Birch.

"Your father's in the fields right now. He should be at the West field."

"Thanks, Sean," Brendan nodded at the assistant and headed for a door on the left, followed by May.

The three walked down yet another dirt path, as the golden wheat was waving with the wind. Brendan was jogging along, while May was easily catching up. The trip to the little oak grove was a long walk, as May knew it.

She stopped as they just started entering a little grove of trees, when they say Brendan standing in a still position.

"Uh oh." Brendan pointed at his dad running away from a Mightyena in a close pursuit.

Brendan was in slight panic while he and May ran quickly around the bushes to search for a suitcase. Her feet hit a hard rectangular container. Brendan quickly slammed open the hinged. Inside were bunches of papers, and two Pokeballs.

"Hurry! Let's use these Pokeballs to stop that Mightyena!" Brendan picked up a Pokeball and was running to assist his dad. May grabbed the last one and headed after Brendan.

"Dad! I'm here!" Brendan was rushing to his the tree in which his dad was clinging onto.

"Son! What are you doing here! Anyways, just help me from this!" Birch was hurriedly speaking. Brendan and May understood the instructions immediately.

"Come on out!" May cried as the Pokeball opened to reveal an orange little bird with tiny wings and long legs. "Oh! A Torchic!"

The Torchic looked inquisitively at May and the Mightyena. Then with instinct, it faced the Mightyena ready to battle.

"Time to show yourself!" Brendan tossed his Pokeball into the air to reveal a little Mudkip. "Hmm… a Mudkip… well… Use Water Gun!"

"Torchic, Ember!"

The Mightyena staggered back by the attacks and then it collapsed due to exhaustion.

"Good job, Torchic! You deserve a good rest."

"Torchic! Tor!"

"You, too, Mudkip!"

"Kip!"

Professor Birch rose to his feet and looked at his son with pride.

"Thank you, and now, you've got your starters, and some Pokeballs and a Pokedex to pick up, and then you two will have to have a talk with me, Caroline and Norman."

"What for?" Brendan looked at May, who shrugged with the same question. It seemed to both of them that they had done something bad, but they knew they hadn't done anything wrong today.

The two made it back to Petalburg Gym where May's father stood. Her mom stood beside him with hopeful eyes, begging to know what her daughter would say when they tell her and Brendan.

"You came back a bit early for a Gym Battle," May's father teased her as she approached her dad.

"Dad, you know I haven't gotten five Gym badges yet."

"Norman," Professor Birch coughed and caught his friend's attention. "The talk?"

"Oh, yes. Please, May come in."

Brendan was following after May until Norman's hand stopped him.

"Sorry, Brendan, this is a personal conversation, though she has the right to tell you later."

Brendan stepped back to join his father outside the Gym. Max appeared before Brendan from the Gym doors.

"Sorry, Mom and Dad kicked me out, too."

"Want to see my Starter?" Brendan suddenly brought up the conversation.

"Yeah. Sure!"

May stepped into her room while her mom closed the door behind her dad, and May began to hear her footsteps becoming faint. Her dad calmly sat down on a chair while May quickly plopped onto her beanie bag chair.

"May, before you leave, I need to give you this package personally."

He took out a single parcel tied with a simple white string and handed it to her. May was about to open it until Norman stopped her.

"Don't open it now, I just want you to keep it in that wrapping until you find the right time to use it."

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"You'll see, May. Now, how about joining your brother and your friend outside?"

"Looks like Bren's already gone."

May searched the porch, and Professor Birch waiting on a nearby bench. She grabbed her bike from the Gym and jumped on it as she was about to descend on a hill to Rustboro City.

"All right, and here I go!"

Archie sat on a tall roller chair behind his desk as he stood to face three red-hooded people, two women and a man.

"You know what to do, yes?" he looked at each one.

"Yes sir."

And the three of them filed away from the room. Team Magma will defeat Team Aqua for sure, Archie thought to himself.


	2. Rising Waters

**The Secret of Earth and Sky- Chapter 2: Rising Waters!**

With much exhaustion, May arrived at Rustboro City. Panting, she got off and dragged herself to the Pokemon Center nearby. It was already enough exhaustion to catch a Wurmple. She knew she would have trouble beating a rock-type, and she slumped in her chair. Then a familiar woman stood in front of her.

Her sapphire eyes were exactly of the same color as May's, while her navy blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail with several locks of hair dropping in small waves in front of her ears. Around her neck she wore a blue crystal necklace, while her attire consisted of a black vest that looked like a thin overcoat with no sleeves, a white tank top, and a pair of blue denim jeans and a pair of black sneakers. Unlike her younger self, she never wore pink that much anymore.

"You seem tired."

May jumped up at sight of her aunt, and the two came together in an embracing hug.

"Oh, Aunt Dawn, it's really you!"

"I just decided to take a break from those challenges and contests at the moment. Paul and Barry are taking care of those for me right now. I just wanted to see how my niece was doing with her beginning journey. So have you been practicing on that skill I taught you?"

May nodded in excitement.

"I've only caught a Wurmple, and I don't have any other Pokemon, besides Torchic, to beat Roxanne."

"Hmm… I can allow you to borrow certain Pokemon from the PC." 

"I can?"

"From your dad's, of course! He just told me that he had some Pokemon in the PC just for you. I've taken them out for you already."

"Let's see what's inside these two Pokeballs."

May tossed the two into the air to reveal a Tropius and a Shiftry. The Grass Dinosaur roared in delight while the Shiftry screeched with happiness. May looked at the two and then looked at Dawn.

"I think I would take Tropius for a while."

"No, no," Dawn shook her head. "You can keep it as part of your party!"

"Really? Thanks, Aunt Dawn!" May hugged her aunt and returned the two Pokemon, handing the Shiftry back to Dawn.

"Silcoon? Never thought of it evolving now, though."

Roxanne looked at her beaten Geodude as Silcoon stood happily at its defeated opponents. Both returned their Pokemon and took out their final Pokeball.

"Go, Nosepass!" Roxanne tossed her Pokeball.

"Go, Tropius! Now, use Magical Leaf!" May commanded her dinosaur.

"Tro-pi-us!"

The rock robot was blown back by a single wave of leaves, utterly punching down its health to almost a single point.

"Now, follow up with Body Slam!"

Okay, now the Nosepass was done for. It just lay there unmoving. Roxanne looked at her opponent in shock.

"So you are as good as Norman!"

"That's what they all say…" May nervously smiled.

"Here is your Badge!" Roxanne happily presented it to May, who gratefully took and put it in its place in the Badge Case.

"Oh! I see Dawn is here as well!" Roxanne spotted her old opponent walking up to May.

"Roxanne! Long time since I've seen you!" Dawn beamed at the Gym Leader as the two shook hands.

Then a man came running into the room. He was panting and he looked at Roxanne with sad eyes.

"A strange guy with a striped shirt and a blue bandanna took my Wingull! I can't do anything now!"

Dawn and Roxanne looked at each other and nodded. May was getting a sign that something was going on. She ran after the two out the door.

"I'm only asking you to give back the Wingull, so be nice."

Dawn looked sternly at the man. He was much taller than her, but everyone knew to back down when Dawn had a tense face. He was everything the man described. Somewhere between very brawny and skinny… Blue bandanna and striped shirt… very much like a sailor. Under the blue bandanna was flaming red hair. But something in the sailor's brown eyes gave some type of recognition when his eyes flitted from the Pokemon Champion to May and her newly evolved Beautifly. Then with annoyance, he looked at Dawn.

"I'll give back the Wingull then! Geez! What's your problem?"

The sailor man backed away from the group, and then ran off from the cave. Dawn returned her Glaceon, and looked at May, who returned her Beautifly.

"Wow, your Beautifly evolved so quickly. Just like my Staraptor when I was in Sinnoh."

"Well, I've got my first Contest Battle here!" May was joyful again. "I thought of a bunch of combinations with Beautifly!"

May looked nervously at her costume before the mirror of the dressing room. It had some sort of an Arabian theme, judging by the two-piece and the long veil she had to wear. Her top consisted of a pink shirt that was short enough to expose her navel. Her skirt was big so she could jump and run, if she had to. She looked at Beautifly and then to her mirror image.

"Ready, May?" Her reflection glanced at her. "Ready!"

Returning Beautifly and adding a Seal on it, she ran out of the dressing room, only to crash into a tuxedo-clad boy. She looked up and gasped. The boy gasped as well. The green hair and eyes was much too recognizable to not be noticed. So were the blue eyes and brown hair.

"Hey!" the two both exclaimed in unison. "You were the one at the laboratory!"

"Don't even try jinxing," May immediately remarked because everyone always did that with her. "I don't believe in it."

"Me neither," the green haired boy helped her up. "Didn't expect you to be in Contests, you know?"

"Of course I don't know what you know!" May was slightly cranky and wanted to battle him right at the spot, but the boy coolly held his hand up.

"Geez, you don't have to be so hotheaded. Besides the Appeals Round is in a minute, so we should get going."

"Roselia, use Petal Dance!"

The waves of petals soared into the air, and the spiraled across the arena. Vivian and the judges looked in amazement. Then the petals stopped and fell down to the audience like confetti as the two bowed before the crowd. Meanwhile May was looking at his performance on the television behind the stage. She knew it would be hard with a person like him. May quickly got up and passing by Drew, felt a sudden brush on her shoulder when she walked by him. With her keen senses, she could hear him mutter, "Good luck, May."

"Beautifly, take the stage!"

"Beau! Beautifly!"

The butterfly Pokemon joyfully raced around the arena. Tossing out a Frisbee, May looked at her Beautifly.

"Hit it with String Shot!"

The butterfly hit the disc with great accuracy while May caught it immediately and tossed out another one.

"Now hit this one with Gust!"

Beautifly obediently nodded and with the force of the wind, turned the direction of the disc back to May, who caught it again.

"Excellent, now Gust again! This time spin around!"

"Beau!"

The butterfly made a tornado in the middle of the arena as it spun. The crowd looked at it in awe while Vivian narrated. Then the butterfly stopped spinning and then turned to its Trainer. The judges commented her with high results. Drew, who was standing right at the edge of the entrance door, wore wide eyes, for he didn't expect a new Coordinator to have such talent. He immediately saw her turn around to leave, so he quickly rushed back to the waiting room hoping that she didn't know that he was watching her.

May walked down the stairs to see Drew sharply turning around the corner. She wanted to run after him, but what was the point? She sat down and sighed while Beautifly rested on her head. She hoped she made it to the next round. Then suddenly a red rose popped in front of her face. She slowly looked up to see the same green haired boy looking down at her with a little smirk, or was it a smile?

"Oh, thank you," May gratefully accepted the rose. Beautifly slightly squeaked at the rose, and then looked at Roselia, which gazed at it. Then the Roselia received a cold stare from the butterfly.

"Actually, it's for Beautifly," Drew lifted his hand to brush the green lock of hair away from his face. "Its performance was great."

"Well, I did train it to do stuff like that-"

"Shhh! The results are in."

The blue screen showed all of the contestants who would proceed to the next round. The first picture was Drew, of course. Then the next five pictures followed, one of them was May's. May jumped in delight, while Beautifly pounced off her head in surprise. Drew smirked again and brushed his hair aside.

"So, I guess we'll be facing off first."

May's celebration stopped short. Her eyes widened in shock, and possibly fear.

"What?!"

Looking up at the screen, she saw her first match. Drew himself. _Now that will be amusing_ , she thought solemnly.

"Our first match today is Drew from La Rousse and May from Petalburg!"

"Come on out!" the two shouted and tossed their Pokeballs simultaneously. Beautifly's eyes viciously narrowed at the sight of the Roselia, which pranced around with grace. May's head was suddenly whirling with commands and ideas, but none would work.

"Um… Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"

The butterfly's Silver Wind blew the walking rosebush (that's what Beautifly called Roselia) back with great force Roselia was having trouble getting up, causing Drew's point bar to quickly steep down to an instant three-quarter. Drew was surprised at this attack as well. Usually Coordinators don't have Pokemon with such strength, but eventually with lots of training, they will get stronger. _Something was with this girl_ , Drew thought.

"Roselia, Aromatherapy!"

Roselia began to glow green and then it was prancing as if it had not been hit at all. May's point bar went down as well, but not enough to exceed Drew's deduction.

"Roselia, use Petal Dance from all sides!"

Beautifly was suddenly trapped in a series of petal rings that were closing in on it. May narrowed her eyes in concentration. _If the guy wants to battle, then I will actually battle with my secret weapon._

"Beautifly, use Gust!" _to make that tornado again, and the use Silver Wind to direct the petals back at Roselia!_

May was not sure if the message came through clearly. She had only been practicing her telepathy to her father's Pokemon at the Gym for a year. Her aunt was accomplished telepath (it was family secret, of course), for all she knew.

Beautifly then twirled to enclose the petals in a twister and with Silver Wind, sent the little tornado hurtling straight at Roselia's face. Drew's point bar was so close from failing now. Drew was becoming much more frustrated by the minute.

BUZZ!

Drew glumly looked to the floor and then to Roselia, nodding at it as a compliment for having battled so hard. Then he turned to May, who was waving at the crowd with flailing arms and her Beautifly dancing in circles. Something was up with that girl, for she didn't ask for Silver Wind at her final attack. He slowly walked off the stage without anyone noticing. Then something caught his arm.

Turning around to face the person who did such an action, he looked in shock to see that May was dragging him to the center stage.

"You did well, too, so you deserve a round of applause," she looked happily at him. Drew suddenly turned a slight shade of red, but May didn't seem to notice it. Facing the crowd and slightly waving, Drew received an excited applause just as great as May's. Then the two walked off the stage for the next match to the finals.

"Beautifly!"

May looked determinedly at the butterfly with great concentration on the TV, and then pointed at the Yanmega. Beautifly quickly responded with Silver Wind in the best way Drew had ever seen, even his Masquerain couldn't have done better. He sighed as he waited in the waiting room until a young woman with navy blue hair pulled back into a ponytail sat beside him.

"She's great isn't she?" Dawn sat gazing at the TV.

"Yeah." Drew answered flatly without thinking about who he was talking to.

"How is Solidad?"

"She's fine," Drew turned to face her, and then widened in shock to see Dawn, one of the finest Master Coordinators in the Pokemon community! "Are… y-you… Dawn?"

"Yes, with great distinction, thanks," Dawn looked at the green haired boy. "My niece is up there on stage."

"Wha-" Drew suddenly chopped his words. "May is your niece?"

"Yep."

"Wow, that certainly explains that great skill she has," Drew looked back at May's face.

"Well, yeah," Dawn looked down sadly. She hadn't told her of the secret, well, not yet, but now wasn't the time, anyway.

"Hey, look! She's won the Finals," Dawn pointed at the screen. May was jumping gleefully, punching her fists in the air while jumping. Dawn quickly rose from her seat to join her niece. Once she's entered the stage to stand beside May, the crowd roared in excitement to see the Coordinator who had been a favorite for so long. Even Vivian was excited.

"Ah, it looks like Dawn came from Sinnoh to join us today!"

The news crew came in to suddenly film May being given the Garden Ribbon from her own aunt. One of the reporters was suddenly talking into her microphone.

"Dawn, one of the only Coordinators to beat Wallace two consecutive times, is here with a new Coordinator named May…"

May received her ribbon from the Pokemon Champion, and began waving to the crowd with a big grin on her face. Then the TV turned off. A woman with a red hood that obstructed her face smirked as she put down the remote. Slowly getting up, she exited the room.


	3. Detoured

**The Secret of Earth and Sky**

 **Chapter 3: Detoured**

Drew looked at the TV all over again at the Pokemon Center for the rerun of the Contest. How could May tell Beautifly without actually talking? The question lingered when he immediately saw May in her usual polo shirt and biker shorts coming out with Dawn. Dawn was proudly looking at her niece and was standing only a few inches away from Drew.

"I guess I have to leave you now," Dawn sadly looked at May. "Paul is getting a bit too overhand for Barry, and Marley, so I have to go back and deal with the issue."

"I hope you do well with your Champion Title and all." May looked at her idol.

"Now Goodbye."

May and Dawn both walked out to the front of the Pokemon Center. Taking out her Staraptor, Dawn quickly mounted and nodded at her niece, and took off. May saw the last of the two when someone else left the Pokemon Center.

"So, your aunt left now, right?"

"Yep, that's right, Drew."

She turned around to see that her guess was correct.

"Where are you going now?"

"Dewford, of course!" Drew brushed his hair to the side again.

"Wow, that's my next Gym Battle!" May jumped excitedly.

"Wait, you're a Trainer, too?" Drew wore a surprised look. "I was expecting that, judging by the way you battled me at the Contest."

"Why not? Anyways, I'm going right now. And… you want to come with me? I might need some help if someone asks me for a tag battle."

"Um… Sure. Why not?" Drew brushed his hair again. "But we're not friends. We're rivals, remember?"

"I know that! Just come along!" May turned around to avoid him. "I guess I'll have to send my Bike back to Dad."

"What happened to it?" Drew suddenly became worried for no particular reason.

"Yesterday evening I found it burned to crisp. I don't know how it happened but it's not good at all. Anyways, can we go yet?"

May walked aimlessly alongside Drew in the vast forest as a flock of Altaria soared overhead. She was used to being outdoors, for Norman would usually take her on camping trips with Max and Mom. She had nothing to be afraid of, either.

May had wanted to be a Coordinator and Trainer from the very start, so she kept herself influenced in the web of Gym Leaders and Champions Norman would invite to the house, most notably Maylene. The Sinnoh Gym Leader would spend the summer hours helping May learn martial arts every year. Every gym leader she was acquainted with taught her something.

"So, I heard you're a Gym Leader's daughter."

May turned to face the emerald haired boy.

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Dawn's your aunt?"

"Yep."

"Wow. You must have a very talented family… unlike you…"

"Are you saying that I am not?!"

"Whoa! May, you get angry so easily, do you?"

May pulled her face away from him.

"Sorry." She apologized flatly. Drew smirked and kept walking.

A Furret sitting on a rock looked at the new visitors. It quickly chattered about and leaped away in some sort of fright. May noticed the action, but then she felt a low rumbling. May then stopped, causing Drew to look back at her.

"What are you doing May?" Drew looked at her with confusion as she quickly bent down into a defensive stance and looked around.

"Something isn't right…" She muttered, but Drew looked at her in disbelief. Apparently, her senses were much sharper than his, for she could distinctly feel the increasing rumble, but couldn't.

"Well, you're just being crazy," Drew continued in a sarcastic tone and continued to walk, but May looked straight at him with a determined look.

"Drew! Stop!"

"What do you mea- Whoaaaa!" Drew flailed his arms about as the ground began to shake under him and May. May fumbled in her backpack for something when the crack that was making it's way around the two was finally completed, and the floor collapsed.

Drew felt himself falling into pitch black but someone shouted String Shot and caught his hand. Still hanging onto the hand, he groped around for something to hold and then felt something hard below him. Stepping gently down on the surface, he tried his best to see his rescuer, but it was still pitch black. Then a light illuminated from above his head and then the whole room.

It was not really a room, but a cavern with an everlasting wall with no ceiling. A Beautifly fluttered down to be returned to May again. Drew looked at her in disbelief again.

"How can you actually do that?"

"Do what?" May spoke calmly.

"I mean, actually catch me when I fall? Are you a ninja who can see in the dark or something?"

"No, I just felt something fall behind me when I was taking out Beautifly to help me safely to the bottom," May answered flatly. "I wasn't planning on catching you."

"That's very thoughtful."

"I did my best, okay? At least you're in one piece."

RUMBLE!

A great deal of rumbling sounded throughout the cavern, and the two grabbed hold of the wall for support. May looked at a holed arch opposite them with curiosity.

"I think the sound's coming from that way…" May cautiously approached the arch and found nothing dangerous. Then she motioned to Drew. "Come on!"

The two broke into a run down the stony halls that were so dimly lit.

BOOM!

"This sounds like a machine drilling through the walls," May muttered. "And it's getting louder, too."

"Whoa-"

May had jerked Drew behind a boulder. She herself could not believe what she saw. It was indeed a drilling machine, but actually three of them. Strange red-hooded (not to mention the little devil horns that stuck out) people were at the controls of the machine as they lifted the levers to bore several holes in the wall. May looked around to see a cluster of those hooded people. Apparently the women wore a miniskirt and the men wore red pants. But one the women sported a long red cape that draped to her heels. Her eyes were totally obstructed by the shadow of the hood over her face. Her hair was tucked away behind the folds of the hood.

May's eyes flitted from the cluster to the machines in wonder. _What are these people doing?_ She then saw something at the back of the machines. The battery pack! If she could pull it out, she could shut down that machine and halt the project, or whatever they were doing.

May suddenly told Drew to be quiet and then leapt swiftly behind another boulder closer to the machines. The drilling noise was unbearable, but she persisted on going. Silently taking out Torchic, she was about to direct it to melt the metal battery, but then she hesitated. If she did it too loudly, then they would hear her, and see her… but that was the surprise part.

"Torchic, use Fire Blast!"

"Tor… chiiiic!"

The little orange bird tossed an immense ball of fire and overheated not only one, but all three of the machines. The drills immediately stopped whirring, and the drivers looked about to see the cause. The red-caped lady looked immediately at May and approached her as the Grunts backed away. Drew, still hiding behind the boulder, painfully watched May as she looked triumphantly at the broken machines, but not the approaching woman. He wanted to yell, but wouldn't that blow his cover? It didn't matter. They'd find him after they finish her off.

"May! Behind you!" He yelled, but he gasped in shock when the Grunts began running to him.

May spun around and saw the caped woman taking a Pokeball out. A little smirk spread across her face.

"You think that you can get away with this, don't you?" The lady slyly circled May as she and Torchic were ready to fight.

"Who are you, and what are you doing with this wall?!" May growled under her breath. She wasn't noticing the little fight Drew was getting into. She remained focused upon the mystery woman.

"Nothing you want to be concerned about," the lady remained calm. "Now why don't you leave quietly?"

"I will when I get the answer!"

"Hotheaded. Just like me when I was younger." The lady chuckled. "Then let's deal with this the hard way. Go, Ninetails!"

"Torchic, let's go!"

"Ninetails, Fire Blast on those two."

May quickly picked up her Pokemon and leaped high into the air to dodge the flames. She landed softly onto the ground again and looked at the lady.

"Torchic, Fire Blast, too."

The streaming flames hot straight at the fox, but then it stopped and spread into different directions, enveloping Ninetails into a large fireball that became smaller. Then the fireball exploded, leaving a fainted Ninetails on the floor. The lady looked remorsefully at her fallen Pokemon and looked back at May.

"And such a great Battler, too."

"Commander Karen! We need to go! Archie's sent a transporter back to Headquarters!"

One of the Grunts clutched his arm along with the other wounded Grunts piling into a vehicle. Drew, panting from the battle, was looking angrily as Karen ran quickly to the transporter as well. She then looked back at May with an angry look, but as the vehicle began to drive away through the tunnel, Karen seemed to be wearing a grin on her face.

"Drew, you all right?"

"Yeah. Almost got hit on the head by a Graveler." Drew rubbed his emerald hair and then looked around the tavern again. "So how do we get out of here?"

May pulled out a brown coil of rope and held it out to him.

"Here you go!" Nurse Joy handed the two their Pokeballs. "All healed and ready!"

"Hmmm…." May pondered on her next Gym Battle as she sat down on a couch. "I guess I'll have to improvise again…"

Drew sat down beside her.

"You should watch the TV," He pointed to it. "Your aunt's in a battle. Wonder who's battling her this time."

The two turned around to watch. It seemed more of a Contest Battle, between Dawn and… Lucas.

"Hey, it's Master Coordinator Lucas!" Drew and May exclaimed at the same time. May had always recalled Lucas as Dawn's ex-boyfriend, for she remembered the time when May and her family came to visit Dawn's villa and she was busily moping about their breakup and stuff…

"It must be really tough for the both of them," May remarked. "It's only been three months since they broke up."

"Since when were they a couple?" Drew looked at her. "Do you read tabloids?"

"No, I just get involved in family relationships." May continued, but she was mostly focused on how each Coordinator's strategy contrasts to the other in battle.


	4. Bren's Back and Gone

**The Secret of Earth and Sky**

 **Chapter 4: Bren's Back and Gone**

Brawly returned with Pokemon while May returned hers. He looked at the Trainer resourcefully.

"I see that you have improved since our last battle back at Norman's."

Drew, who sat quietly in the bleachers, remained in deep thought about how May was able to command her Pokemon without speaking. May nodded at Brawly in agreement.

"The way your Combusken made that kick was awesome, just like how your aunt did it when she battled me with her Scyther!"

"Thanks!"

Brawly handed her second badge, and looked at her.

"Here is what you get for a great battle."

Drew snapped from his trance and rushed down the stairs to meet May.

"He's right," He looked at her. "You were great."

May smiled back at him. "Well, how about that Contest you're working on. I got another Gym Battle, so I can't enter now."

Drew suddenly wore a face of shock.

"You aren't entering?"

"Nope. My next Gym Battle deals with Electric Types. I guess I need to train."

"Well… okay then…"

"Good job! Combusken! Now let's try that Sky Uppercut you just learned."

The firebird looked at its Trainer with pride and completed its move and smashed the boulder Tropius dropped from above. May gleefully jumped in air. Then she looked at her Poketch (what can I say? It's Dawn's gift for her, so she doesn't have to carry a PokeNavi, and it's been changed slightly with Hoenn settings).

"Oh, no!" May exclaimed. "I've got five minutes to get to the Contest!"

She quickly returned Combusken and leaped onto her Tropius to fly away.

"Thanks, Tropius! You need a rest- oof!"

May bumped into a man who just entered a contest. She quickly looked up to see purple curls hanging down and she immediately stepped back in fright. To her, he resembled somewhat like a Cacturne with his green hat and jacket and jeans, and a purple shirt.

"What's with the wide eyes, hon?" the man asked in a sassy tone. If anyone heard it, it would have sounded like nothing like a guy, though.

"Um… nothing! I just came to see my friend at the Contest, eh-heh." May looked around for the entrance to dash off, but someone grabbed her arm just as she was about to run. With quick retaliation, she bent down and swerved her foot to sweep the attacker from his feet and fall flat on the ground. When May saw her assailant, she gasped in fright to see the man on the ground.

"Oh! Really sorry!" May apologized as she quickly helped him up.

"No matter! By the way," The man didn't notice a bruise on his forehead. "The name's Harley."

He strutted off from her, leaving May in great doubt. Then she turned to crash into another person.

 _What am I? A people magnet or something?_

May groaned as she got up, and then she immediately hugged the person, tilting his glasses and hat to the side.

"Oh! Hi Brendan!"

"Um… Hi… May…" Brendan was rather nervous to see May's sudden enthusiasm. "You entering a contest?"

"No, just watching."

"Same here! Let's go get some good seats before they run out!"

The two walked side by side, as they had done in a long time.

"So, how's your Gym Battles going? I heard you've got a ribbon for the Festival already."

"Two Badges." May proudly held out her badge case to him. "So have _you_ decided what to do?"

"Nope, still researching, but I just got my first Badge," Brendan held out his Stone Badge as the two settle down on the seats. "But it was only to help Mudkip gain confidence. I'm not into the League thing. You rooting for anyone yet?"

"I guess I do…" May tried not to blush, but some of the pink escaped through her cheeks.

"Who is it?" Brendan became slightly suspicious.

"Some guy I've been going around with…" May couldn't contain any longer, and her face flushed red. "Oh, Bren! I can't talk about this now, okay?"

"Wow, May! I haven't seen you this nervous! Is he nice?"

"He's kinda pushy and arrogant, but I've only been with him for a few days.

"Ah well," Brendan took off his glasses and returned it to his case. "The show's starting."

"Evening, everyone!" Vivian Meridian happily waved a hand to the audience as it became silent. "Welcome to the Venice Contest, where double battles are the name of the game! The winner of the Contest will get the Grace Ribbon! Everyone ready?! Then let the Appeals Contest begin! Starting off with Harley!"

"Oh… great…" Both of the two Trainers groaned, but then May perked up.

"Since when did you know Harley?"

"Crashed into him at the Pokemon Center today."

"Wow…"

The purpled haired Coordinator appeared through the walkway with a Sealed Pokeball in his hand. Waving to the audience he tossed out his Pokeball to reveal from the smoke… none other than a Cacturne.

"Hello my friends!" Harley waved to the camera that his face filled the whole screen, causing Drew, and everyone else, to jump back in fright. "You are in for a great start for today! Cacturne use Pin Missile!"

The walking cactus bowed and shot an array of spikes in the air as they zoomed down to make a perfect circle around it and it's trainer.

"Wow! That was an amazing Pin Missile! I bet the judges have something to say about this!"

Vivian held the microphone to the Mr. Contesta first.

"I must say this is an impressive move! I would give that a 9.5!"

Then the camera panned to Mr. Pokefan.

"Oh, marvelous! Just marvelous!"

Nurse Joy was the last to comment.

"Oh! This is a new sequence… but it's unique!"

"High marks for you, Harley!" Vivian turned back to the purple haired Coordinator. "You are sure to pass!"

"Thank you everybody!" Harley pranced offstage blowing kisses to the audience (I think there was swooning woman in the crowd).

Brendan looked at May. "Wow. He's good."

"Now, presenting one of our favorites, Drew!"

The emerald-haired boy stepped on the stage to wave to everyone. May (sweatdrop) gaped at the line.

"He's not a new guy?!" She whispered to herself.

"Go Masquerain!" Drew tossed his Pokeball into the air to reveal through a dazzling combination of flower petals and several stars a pink and white butterfly. It happily hovered in the air, awaiting instructions.

"Silver Wind!"

The butterfly nodded and proceeded to spin cause a whirlpool of silvery wisps of wind. Drew smirked at the glinting performance.

"Now, Gust!"

Masquerain the broke the whirlpool with a powerful blow, making the wisps of Silver Wind blast into tiny particles of glitter that showered down upon the whole area of the arena. May and Brendan smiled at the performance as Vivian looked unblinkingly at the act.

"My my!" Vivian gasped. "I'm always impressed by this Coordinator!"

Drew walked quietly to avoid the paparazzi when a brunette suddenly hugged him.

"Congratulations, Drew!"

"May…" a boy with a white hat looked at her, and the girl pulled away with a flushing red face.

"Sorry, about that, Drew."

The emerald haired boy looked at the other boy.

"Um… who's this, May?"

May suddenly perked up.

"Oh! He's an old friend! His name's Brendan!"

Drew looked at the boy.

"We've met, have we?"

Brendan nodded and turned to leave.

"Where are you going, Bren?" May looked at him.

"I need to leave to do some more research." Brendan replied flatly, and he continued walking, leaving the two behind. Then Drew looked at May.

"Since when did you get all bubbly?"

Karen swooped down from the crevice and landed softly on the ground. No one was supposed to know that she was here. Her brown eyes scanned the area for something, but the cave corridor was completely empty.

A Ninetails softly landed down as well and looked at its Trainer with innocent eyes before being quietly returned. Karen got up and quickly proceeded down the hall with silent footsteps and swift movement. Then she stopped completely. Sensing several shadows coming to her at the halls, she quickly swerved to hide behind a wall, and she waited for the Grunts to leave. If she couldn't get to the database, then her team would be doomed.

Then she felt light breathing beside her ear, and with no hesitation to know whom the man was, Karen took him down and pinned his arms behind his back as she slammed to the wall. A little sense of madness welled over her, and tiny wisp of blue hair clung to her sweating cheek. The man cocked his head, his sunglasses lopsided and revealing a pair to two brown eyes flashing up at her dark face.

"Fancy seeing you again," He chuckled as Karen snarled and then her right arm was caught by a flying green vine and was pulled away from the man and was slammed against the wall. She fell to her knees to be approached a woman with bushy red hair that fell to her knees. Like the man, she wore striped sailor's shirt, blue jeans, and a navy blue bandanna with a symbol that Karen had always hated. The man got up, but he stayed back as several Aqua Grunts approached them.

"What is it, Commander Kevin and Shelley?" one of the grunts asked. Shelley did not take her eyes off the fallen Magma commander.

"Some little Magma runt tried to break in." Shelley began to taunt Karen as she stepped back to place a comforting arm on Kevin's burly shoulder. "Isn't that right?"

Karen didn't bother to look at the menacing blue eyes.

"Maybe," She slyly etched a smile, and then a cloud of white smoke ripped through the hall. The grunts coughed uncontrollably as they heard a yelp of pain in the smoke. A grunt was thrown at the wall while another was kicked at the legs and swept of her feet. Shelley and Kevin looked uneasily around as the grunts yelled and tossed about in the forest of white. Then something caught the two off guard when Kevin was kicked square in the face and Shelley was pinned down to the wall by an unperceivable figure. She couldn't hear it well, but a low voice came softly to her ears.

"Back off from my husband, or you'll get worse."

The force of the grip was so strong as the figure's nails drove down into Shelley's arms as she struggled, but then for some reason, she weakened and then fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

The figure then jumped away and down the halls as she returned her trusty Torkoal before the smoke cleared. Now the Red Orb was at hand.


	5. Fishing for Trouble!

**Secret of Earth and Sky**

 **Chapter 5: Fishing for Trouble!**

May looked aimlessly at the windows of the dormitory as she sat alone. Drew had a separate dorm, so he was probably off somewhere. She wasn't able to leave for the while, for the boat dock had been closed. She sighed deeply and got up from the skylight.

Her Combusken was meditating on her bed. How typical. It had once observed its Master's Battle techniques, and it was preparing itself. If it weren't mentioned, it was only trying to match up to the Grovyle next door. Apparently that belonged to Drew. May would giggle about it and comment to herself that the two would make a good couple. Grovyle and Combusken, but that wasn't really possible, was it?

Beautifly was fluttering from each bedpost trying to get a good look at the Egg May left on the table. She only got just yesterday from Brendan.

 _May sighed as she walked to her dorm and took her ID card out and swiped it onto the sensor, granting access to its interior. She opened the door to see a box on the bedside table._ Now who left me that?

May picked up the brown boxes, noticing the DO NOT SHAKE note and FROM: Brendan Birch at the top of the flap in bright red. Carefully opening the box, she looked at the shadowy object in the box, and cautiously picked it up. Combusken looked curiously at the object.

 _"My god!" May exclaimed. "It's an egg!"_

Encased in a cylindrical Egg Hatcher, the egg was decorated with the zigzagging streaks of tan and brown. May had no idea what it will be, but she placed it on the bedside table again, and thought to herself. Looks like he remembered what she said before they went to the lab.

May lazily turned on the TV and waited for the news report.

"It's Hoenn Live! We've got an event today! A Fishing event at the dock! Carvahna and-"

"What?!" May looked at the TV. She switched off the TV and grabbed her backpack to leave, with her Pokemon of course!

May ran as fast as she could to the dock when she saw someone else. The emerald haired boy looked at her and did his usual smirk.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, well…" May trailed off, slightly blushing. "There's a… well… fishing… thing…"

"Okay, I get it. So, what are you looking for?"

"Well, Drew, I was looking for a Carvahna!"

He gave a slight look of disgust.

"Okay… you had a reason?"

"It's really powerful, and I think it can help with my Gym Battles! You didn't expect that, did you?"

"No…"

"Well, let's get going!" May took Drew's hand (caught him off guard) and dragged him to a nearby boat that would take them to the fishing spot.

Several Wingull were in flight, cawing profusely. A Seel jumped from the water as it tried to follow along with the boat. The salty mist of the ocean spread throughout the boat as May excitedly waited. Drew calmly sat down on a barrel as he looked on. Then the boat stopped, and the driver emerged from the cabin.

"So, we're here!" He sighed. May then opened her backpack and started to rummage for an Old Rod. She then swung the pole over the edge so the lure landed with a loud splash in the water. After a minute or so, the line began to tug and flail as May pulled with enough force to catch a Carvahna slapping the surface of the water. Immediately she took out Beautifly, and within seconds she commanded the butterfly to beat down the health points to 1. Then the Carvahna jumped up and splashed down as May tossed the Pokeball at it. Drew closely watched the flashing Pokeball as it floated in the water and finally became stable.

May jumped in delight and then raised a hand to it, causing the Pokeball to hover from the water and fly straight into her hands. Drew, watching her holding it in content, was utterly dumbfounded. Since when did Pokeballs fly?

Then a Carvahna jumped from the water, and May looked at it in question.

Isn't that the one I just battled? May asked. After a close examination and glancing from the Pokeball to the Carvahna, she became puzzled. It is! Well, then what did I catch?

"All right, come on out!" May tossed the Pokeball into the air, as the Pokemon splashed into the water. Then May and Drew gasped in utter shock.

"What is that?" May pointed at the Pokemon she had just captured. "It's not a Carvahna!"

Drew smirked at her and took out his Pokedex.

"It's a Feebas," He chuckled as the description spoke on.

"Well, it's ugly!" May exclaimed, looking despairingly at it. "And it's weak! How can I use this in a Contest or any Battle!?"

"Well, young lady," the driver looked at her. "Feebas are rare around these places, so you should be lucky. Besides, it has great potential, too."

"Well, then if it has potential," May raised a fist in the air. "Then it's top down training for us!"

Drew only etched another smirk behind her as the driver retreated to the cabin to start driving back. Then May began to wonder.

"Drew?"

"Yeah?" He looked at the sapphire eyes.

"Weren't you gonna catch anything?"

"Well, no."

"Then why did you come along?"

"Well… umm…" Drew was welling with uneasiness as May stared intently at him. "Let's talk about this later, okay?"

"Okay, if that's fine with you." May looked away from him.

"Gosh, this Feebas hasn't got any good moves!"

The Feebas floated helplessly in the training aquarium tank as May sat on the diving board flipping through her Pokedex. Drew was walking in with Masquerain at his side when he saw her sitting there with her legs dangling from the rim. And she was wearing a bathing suit…

Drew stared at her as she, not noticing him, continued to ponder on Feebas' potential. Then he suddenly took a step and slipped on something, so he fell with a loud thud and groaned in pain. May jerked around to see the emerald haired boy struggling to get up. She stepped off from the diving board and walked to him.

"Oh, hi Drew! Didn't notice you! You okay?"

"I'm fine," Drew took her hand as she pulled him up. Then a strange feeling welled between the two as they were still holding hands, and then May was the first to back away.

"Sorry." She started flatly.

"Me too." Drew replied.

"The boat's coming tomorrow," May digressed. "You're coming, right?"

"Yeah," Drew slurred his words. "Where's your next Gym Battle?"

"Mauville City."

May glanced at her Poketch again for the time.

"My!" She exclaimed. "It's nine o' clock. I gotta go."

She recalled Feebas to its Pokeball and rushed past Drew.

May was floating aimlessly through pitch black, with no real purpose at the time. She didn't know how she got there, but she only remembered falling asleep. Her hands groped around for something to hold on to, but she was hovering in the air in pitch black. Flailing arms and legs didn't work either.

Then a flash of white light filled the area, blinding May as she covered her eyes. Then a sudden glimpse of a large black crystal flashed before her eyes, causing May to sense a disturbance of darkness in her soul, then a trio of red, blue, and yellow lights circled the black crystal, turning it into a gleaming white crystal in the process. May had no idea what it meant, but…

May jerked herself up again in cold sweat. It was morning again, and she looked about the dorm. Combusken was sleeping at the end of her bed, Beautifly was still asleep perched on her bedpost, and the egg seemed to give a signal of near hatching. She sighed deeply as she got off from the bed to walk to the bathroom, waking her two Pokemon. She splashed an immense amount of water on her face, and she slumped in her chair outside the bathroom. It won't be long until she gets on that long ride.


	6. Magic Tricks

**Secret of Earth and Sky**

 **Chapter 6: Magic Tricks**

May was waiting on the dock of the ship as she sat on one of the beach chairs with Combusken sitting with her. She was rather bored, so she dug into her bag, completely missing the paper package she had obviously forgotten about. She reached for her Ipod and set of headphones. And then she began to search through her playlists. Combusken lifted its head in question. May then noticed it.

"Oh, it's an Ipod, Combusken," She explained cheerfully. "I can play music with this. I guess you want to listen too, right?"

"Combusk!"

"How about I let you choose the song?" May handed it to Combusken. She then taught it use the scroll keys and buttons. After an amusing tutorial, Combusken was searching through it on its own. It then pressed one of the songs, causing May, who was sharing an earphone with it, to notice.

"Oh, this is Michael Jackson," May looked at Combusken. "He used to be my grandma's favorite singer, but I listen to it anyway."

"Combusken?"

"Oh, this is 'Thriller.' Bren tried to dance to it once, but it wasn't pretty. Got a video of it without him noticing."

"Combusken…" _Well… I like it… the song… is great…_

May's eyes then widened.

"Wha… you can talk?"

 _Isn't it you? You are the telepathic one._

"You're right, but how come I couldn't do that at the beginning of my journey?"

 _You bond with your Pokemon before they open their minds to you. Now how about that video of Brendan dancing to Thriller?_

"Thriller" continued to play as May and Combusken relaxed on the beach chair, not caring whether Drew or Grovyle on board.

May walked off the boarding dock from the S.S. Tidal as she looked at the skyscrapers of Slateport City. She sighed in deep relief, for she couldn't wait for the battle. Combusken, usually out of its Pokeball, walked beside her as she strolled to the Pokemon Center.

 _Slateport City? This will be great._

"Combusken," May turned to it, "I know you want top down training, but how about a little break?"

 _I just had one on the ship._

"Come on," May urged. "You need more than that."

The egg case was in her arms. This was really no time to rush herself, no contests at the moment, so she was free for the while, and then melancholy swept over her. Drew was not on the S.S. Tidal when she boarded it, but she remembered that there was a contest all the way at Petalburg at the moment. He's probably there by now. She sighed again at the automatic doors of the Center swung open for her.

Just as she walked in, May didn't notice a blond haired man speeding for the door when the two experienced a collision. May sprung up from her feet as the man lay face down and sprawled on the floor.

"Oh, sorry!" May helped him up. "Really sorry!"

"No matter no matter," The man speeded through his words, too. "I guess I have to slow down once in a while when-"

Then the man gave her a strange glance.

"Those eyes…" he muttered slowly and paused for a second, leaving May in great wonder. Then he suddenly perked up. "Anyways, I'm Barry!"

"Uh… I'm May," May was a bit flustered from the crash and his strange behavior.

"Oh, you mean Dawn's niece?" Barry was getting excited. "She's been talking about you lately. She and Marley's been watching you on TV when Buck and I were gone."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah! I've seen you battle! You are really good!"

"Are you gonna ask me to battle or something?"

"No. I'm a bit busy at the moment for battles." Barry fumbled in his bag for something. "You see, I gotta go to Mauville City and-"

"Wow, that's where I'm going!" May exclaimed.

"Gym Battle, I suppose?"

"And Contest!"

"How convenient!" Barry clasped his hands together. "I have to travel by foot again, so you can come along."

"Great! When do we leave?"

"Two days, but there's something I have to attend to today."

"Um… why are we here?"

May looked overhead a small cliff that was a great view for an empty fairground. It was the usual barren and uninhabited place, unless some festival goes on.

"In less than two minutes," Barry looked at his watch. "They should be coming by now."

May sighed and sat on a boulder. Then she heard footsteps coming behind her. Quickly spinning around, she gasped in surprise at a weary boy.

"Brendan!" She exclaimed as she ran over to hug him. She let go and looked at him, picking up the egg case. He then looked at the Egg Watcher.

"You got the egg?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to thank you!"

"Well, it's no problem." Brendan replied. "You do know it's hatching, right?"

As a matter of fact, the egg was flashing white and was wiggling from side to side. May gasped at it, but then she looked worried.

"Well, what do I do?"

"Um… give me that." Brendan took out his Pokeballs to reveal a Marshtomp, a Tailow, and a Shroomish. They all squealed in delight as they awaited instructions from Brendan, who was looking in his bag. He pulled out a laptop and a few wires and set these things on a flat stone on the side of the road. He attached the wires to the egg and simultaneously turned the laptop on. May looked at her friend in awe. When he said research, he did mean research.

Brendan checked the status of the egg and looked at Barry and May.

"It's going to hatch anytime soon, so we should wait."

May sat down on a nearby boulder and stared at the tottering egg. Barry, who was rather fascinated with this research looked about the egg. Brendan didn't notice Barry until now.

"Wait…" Brendan muttered. "Are you Barry?"

"Yes, the one and only!" Barry's eyes remained fixed on the egg.

"I don't remember you doing any research with Birch before."

"Well, Rowan's just given me a project to do here, actually, cause Lucas is busy in Kanto right now with a Moltres."

"What is it?" May walked to the two.

"Well, tonight's supposed to be the opening of this festival that happens every millennium."

"Wow!" Both Bren and May gasped.

"They say that a certain Pokemon comes out at the same time. Last time I heard about it, I believe it grants three wishes each time it wakes up." Barry, surprisingly became the talking encyclopedia. Well, May didn't remember him being like this at all.

"May, the egg," Bren pointed out. "It's glowing."

May turned to the once brown egg and gasped. As a matter of fact, it was glowing with a luminous hue of white. The elliptical shape turned into a shadow of a fox as the shadow turned brown and tan.

"Whoa! An Eevee!" May gasped in excitement. "I thought it was a Zigazoon."

Brendan smiled as he watched May cradle the baby Pokemon tenderly as Barry smiled as well.

"An Eevee…" Barry muttered. "Dawn's Eevee's a Glaceon now, and mine is a Leafeon now."

Then a loud rumble sounded throughout the land. May looked at the cliff to see a bunch of RVs and trucks pulling in to the fairgrounds.

"It's the fair all right," Barry commented. "And the show's about to begin."

The three indulged themselves in the excitement as many people flooded in to enjoy as well. Bren and May had a fantastic time at the bumper cars as Barry was eyeing several girls passing by (okay, back to normal self again). The arcade was bustling and the food court was just ahead.

"Cool! A food booth!" Bren pointed out. Barry was watching the people aiming for the cans in one booth. May and Bren pointed to a big tent in front of them.

"It's a magic show that just started a while ago."

The three ran, well, Barry was lagging off, into the tent. They seated themselves at the middle rows of the arena, hoping not to catch attention to them in the middle of the performance. A tall magician stood at the middle of the stage, presenting his white top hat to the crowd with a few waves of his wand, a flock of Swablu burst from the rims, and everyone watched in awe.

Two clowns appeared with a table with several flaps. The magician closed it into a box and began to wave his wand. Then he opened it to show a woman who stepped out. For Brendan and May, she must have been a talented contortionist to fit in that box. But something caught May and Brendan's eye. In the woman's arms was a rather large black crystal. Something strange was stirring in the air, well, only May and Combusken could sense it.

 _Jirachi…_ A voice called.

 _What was that, May?_

"I don't know," May whispered. "But let's find out."

May sharply got up, and began sprinting down the stairs with Combusken. Barry and Brendan noticed, but Bren was the one to stand up and started running after her.

"Excuse me!" May called, startling the audience. The Magician turned to her. The assistant then kept the crystal in her arms. May then ran up to her.

"Is that Jirachi?" May wasn't really minding that the audience was watching her. Brendan was with her panting.

"May! What are you doing?"

"Bren…" May looked at him with Combusken.

"Oh! Looks like I didn't expect this!" The Magician continued. "Let's have these two as our volunteers for our next trick!"

The crowd cheered, yearning for another marvel. May, Combusken and Bren looked at each other and shrugged. The assistant ushered them into a box big enough for the three of them and closed it. May couldn't help but notice that the magician was holding several swords.

The box was rather dark, so no one could see. May was groping around or Combusken.

 _I'm here!_

"Oh, there you are." May exclaimed, but then the floor of the box dropped with the three falling with it.

"What kind of place is this?!" May screamed.

Then the floor then rose again. May was hoping that she wouldn't hit her head again. Then they were launched off from the floor and then they were falling flat on the ground. The three sat up. They were at the back of the arena. The magician up front pointed to them, and the crowd looked back, applauding. May, Combusken, and Bren didn't know what to do, so they just waved generously. May and Combusken had not idea what was going to happen, but something was on all right.


	7. Wishes

**Secret of Earth and Sky**

 **Chapter 7: Wishes**

May, Combusken, and Brendan enjoyed themselves until the show was over. Just when the Great Butler and Diane were about to close when the group ran over to meet them.

"Um… Butler!" May called to them.

"Oh, May," the purple haired magician noticed her and her friends. "You were going to ask about Jirachi, weren't you?"

"Um… what is a Jirachi?" Brendan asked in confusion.

"It's a Pokemon that appears at the same time as the Millennium Comet," Butler began. "It is said to grant wishes, and also said to be hibernating in this crystal."

"Whoa…" Barry, May, and Brendan gasped. Combusken looked at it in question.

"How does Jirachi appear?" May asked.

"Two conditions," Brendan looked at him. "First, the Comet has to be present, and second, this Pokemon must find a friend."

"Wow," Diane commented. "Since when did you know so much about Jirachi?"

"He told me himself," Brendan proudly pointed to himself. _That's Bren_ , May thought to herself.

"Since when did you heard voices?" May asked.

"He chose me as his friend," Brendan was as proud as ever. Even no scientist could be as proud as he was. "And I will help him."

"I guess you can take care of him," Diane handed the crystal gently into Bren's hands.

"Sure! I will!" Bren remained proud.

Just as the group was leaving, Diane turned to Butler.

"Are you sure you can make her believe the truth? Even if your plan is just as crazy? I mean, I know she's her daughter, but-"

"If her mother can't be helped by just me, then I have to get help."

Barry and Brendan spent most of their time toting around the big crystal as May was admiring a wish-catcher. The storekeeper eyed her, and approached her.

"That is a wish-catcher," the man explained, causing her to jump.

"Um… what does it do?" May asked in question.

"Every night of the Millennium Festival, you make a wish with these flaps. But remember, you have to do it every day, and it's one wish only."

May and Combusken then looked ready than ever.

"I'll buy it!" May exclaimed and gave him ten Pokedollars. The two happily skipped away to rejoin with their friends at the top of the hill.

 _The comet… It's so beautiful…_

Combusken gazed at the shining dot with her best friend. Then she noticed Brendan and the crystal. Brendan didn't keep a certain Pokemon out like May did with her.

"Oh, the wish!" May perked up and pulled out the wish-catcher. "Ready, Combusken?"

 _Oh boy am I ready!_ Combusken grinned. The two then thought over their wish and then closed the next flap.

"I hope it works." May said to herself. Then a strange noise stirred in the wind.

 _The star… It's calling…_

"Wha?" Barry jumped. May and Combusken jumped as well. Brendan was holding the crystal… except it was glowing. Waves of energy flowed out from it as it rose into the air.

A little while or so passed, and the crystal then became a full-grown Pokemon, and a rather strange one too. It had three peaks at its head, each with a blue tag at the end. It had black eyes surrounded by blue diamonds. Two ribbon like tails grew out from its back. Brendan caught it as it dropped to the ground.

"I can't believe it!" May exclaimed. "It's Jirachi!"

"Diane!" Barry noticed the wide-eyed newcomer. "Did you see it?"

"Yes… I did…" Diane trailed off… "I must tell Butler the good news. You guys can sleep in our trailer for the night."

"Butler… May and Brendan have revived him."

"Yes… remember Diane, I not only want revenge, but I'm doing this to help the Union."

An Absol stood on the cliff, suspicious of the sound waves rushing through the forests of Forina. It knew that something was in trouble as it jumped off.

"So Jirachi, you can grant wishes?" Bren asked. The Pokemon nodded.

"I guess so."

"Well, can you grant mine?" Bren asked politely.

"You're my friend." Jirachi called.

"You're the best, Jirachi." Bren and the Pokemon shared a hug as May and Combusken looked at each other.

 _They're best friends, just like us._ Combusken looked at them again.

"Yeah… you're right…" May glanced at them.

"Hello, you three," Butler entered the trailer, and then noticed Jirachi. "You guys didn't cause any trouble wishing yet, have you?"

"No, not at all." May smiled. "We should go to sleep, should we?"

"Yeah… correct!" Barry agreed.

"You guys should look sharp tomorrow." Butler said as he walked away. "I need backup since the clowns and stage manager I hired abruptly left during our first performance."

"I call Stage Manager!" May was getting into bed.

 _"Behold a great experiment!"_

 _May glanced around from the back of a conference room. Several Team Magma members looked at someone… Butler?! What was a magician doing here? Oh, he's in a lab coat, so he probably was a scientist there… but why?_

 _"So what do you have for us, Professor Butler?" A woman stared curiously at the machinery and Butler. May immediately noticed who it was. Commander Karen._

 _"I can help you reach your goal!" Butler declared. "Now with my machine and this fossilized remain of Groudon, I can revive a full Groudon!"_

 _"Hmm…" Karen pondered. "Sounds believable, but I doubt that can worked."_

 _"Enough with your sneering, commander!" Butler yelled again. "Let me demonstrate!"_

 _He turned on a switch, and the machine began to glow. May's eyes widened in wonder. Then just as she thought, the machine overloaded, causing a huge explosion. The machine appeared to be in ruins from the fog. Butler seemed to be in ruins as well. Karen chuckled deviously. The nerve of her._

 _"Can't even make a fire stove burning," Karen sneered again. "You are officially banned from Team Magma after all your failures. Archie will be very disappointed in you."_

 _"I'll teach you someday!" Butler shouted at the laughing members, but as May felt herself getting close to Butler, she could see him, holding the still burning fossil, and gritting his teeth._

 _"I'll teach them, and I can save her."_

 _What?_

"Whaa!"

"Bren!"

May had accidentally tossed him into the wall with Barry, and the two boys groaned.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Yeah, you should," Barry moaned. "You were in a big fit in the morning. You were wriggling all over the bed."

"What? I had a nightmare!"

"What's the commotion?" Diane appeared, seeing Bren and Barry on the floor. "Oh, it's you two?"

"Yeah… something like that…" Bren trailed. "May's fault!"

"It was a nightmare, all right?!" May yelled back.

 _Stop arguing!_ Jirachi rose from its covers. _Do you do this every day?_

"No… not really… Yes?" the two friends spoke in unison.

"Come on," Diane took out a clothes chest of clown attire, "you overslept a bit. May, aren't you the Stage Manager?"

"Oh! I didn't notice!" May was not used to being late, so she rushed out of the room.

"You two," Diane giggled, "have to wear this."

She held up a rainbow shower of clothes.

"Aw…" the two boys groaned, but Jirachi was happy.

 _Now you look like me!_

"Man, this is itchy!" Barry was scratching his arm. "These shoes are much too huge."

"Hey!" Bren snapped. "You're not the one wearing a big hat with a bunch of water-squirting daisies on it! Did I mention that I'm allergic to pollen!?"

"And Aunt Dawn said you were not a handful anymore," May murmured flatly. Combusken nodded in agreement. Barry then shot her a mean look, but didn't change her expression. "Hurry up, it's your cue."

The two boys stumbled out, because Barry tripped on the chair by his shoes, and landed flat on the middle of the stage, causing everyone to laugh.

"Man, and I have live like this…" Brendan got up.

"Don't be talking," Barry was cheerful again as he enjoyed the spotlight. "I've lived like this for twenty-three years!"

"Now the show begins!" Butler announced. May, Combusken, and Jirachi remained behind the curtains.


	8. Insanity

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 8- Insanity**

"Today was a good sale!" May was closing up the moneybox, and then she headed to put it in the cabinet.

 _Have you seen what Jirachi was doing, May?_ Combusken watched her close the safe.

"No, what?" May asked, but then a loud bang was the answer. May and Combusken ran out, and a large steel pillar fell on top of the two. May was barely supporting it with one hand as she took out another Pokeball.

"Tropius, a little help here!" She called out the leafy dinosaur.

With little effort, it pushed the pillar away, and the three continued to the mess. Brendan was seemingly keeping Jirachi safe an approaching Absol. He must have been in a heated battle, for his Marshtomp and his Mightyena were unconscious.

"Combusken, use Flamethrower!"

The firebird spat out a beam of fire straight at the Absol, which resisted the flames, and began charging at Combusken, but she dodged the beast completely, but instead, it was charging at May. May only stood there with frozen eyes, wondering about how the Absol got there, and why it was there…

"Dusclops, Psychic!"

The Ghost Pokemon trapped Absol in a large cage, but it was still struggling to take down the bars. Butler, who was rather furious at the event, called Kirlia to knock it out. As the beast slowly slinked away to sleep, May and Brendan carefully approached it in its cage.

"I wonder what it's doing here…" May muttered. Combusken looked from the frightened Jirachi to May again.

 _It was looking for Jirachi. To take him to Forina._

"What's Forina?"

 _That's where Tropius is from._

"Tropius?"

 _Yep. He knew of Jirachi and stuff. We were just talking about it yesterday._

May and Combusken looked at the second-to-last day of their wish-catcher. Three days have past, and the group was satisfied with their jobs. Now Brendan didn't mind the flower hat anymore. He and Jirachi were able to take off early so they could have time together at the festival. Brendan knew that Jirachi would leave, so his reason was to make their friendship last.

Barry meanwhile was worrying himself about his research project on Jirachi. He was just finishing his written report when Diane called all of them to get back into the trailer, for it was nighttime. He was alongside Diane while the kids were ahead.

"The two of them are really close now, are they?" Diane continued looking at each pair.

"Which one?"

"Both pairs," Diane answered, looking on. "Each trainer bonds with a certain Pokemon."

"Oh."

Midnight has fully fallen to the valley, and the comet was still in the almost clear sky. May, Bren, Diane, and Barry were fast asleep as a shadowy figure walked into the room. He chuckled to himself, as he took Jirachi from Brendan's arms without any notice, and he left swiftly.

It was rather a lucky moment for them to realize the theft. May had been getting the same exact dream about reviving Groudon. She tossed and turned violently and then she got to the point of screaming uncontrollably as a totally different dream began to appear. She couldn't see anything, but she felt electric jolts of pain all over her body. Diane, Brendan, and Barry were instantly awakened, and they tried to wake her up. She woke up, all right, panting heavily.

"I never received such pain like that before…" May panted.

"You all right? Everyone?" Barry looked around reassuringly. "Diane? Brendan? Combusken? Jira- Hey! Where is he?"

"Jirachi!" Brendan began to frantically search the trailer, when May got up and headed out the trailer.

"May!" Barry yelled after her. "Where are you going?"

"Jirachi's in pain!" May yelled and continued sprinting with Combusken. "I can feel it suffering!"

"Huh?" Diane looked worriedly, and then something came to her mind. "Oh… no…"

Then Diane was running after the Trainer into the circus tent. "He can't have done it now."

But then a blue beam of light shot from the tent sprang from the roof, and then it hit the comet, causing it to blink, and then a light was shot back into the tent. Barry and Brendan, who were shocked by the site, started to run.

"Come on! Show your True Eye! Help me make my wishes come true!"

Jirachi was surely in pain as it levitated in a machine, twisting and wriggling in its misery. The power cell that stood separately, was shot by a fireball and exploded, completely exploding the experiment. Brendan picked up Jirachi and cradled it in his arms. May and Combusken nodded to each other, and prepared to attack Butler and his Dusclops. Barry called out Torterra and Staraptor to help as well.

"No! We shouldn't fight!" Diane called to them, and motioned them to follow. "We need to leave, now!"

"Right!" The three answered and followed. The two were headed for the trailer, but then Butler came out just in time to call out a Raichu to drain the Power Cell, rendering the Trailer useless. With quick retaliation, May told Combusken to attack both Butler and Raichu. She had witnessed the whole experiment in that dream with the electrocution. No man like him deserved to live. Not like she cared. She then called out Tropius, while Barry kept his Staraptor on.

"Everyone! Quick!" May called to Brendan and Diane, who nodded and mounted upon the green dinosaur's back. With understanding, it took off, instinctively heading for the place it had once came from- Forina- with Barry tagging along from behind.

Butler watched them fly away, but he chuckled to himself.

"I have my own tricks, too." He smiled, and revealed a robot, complete with the experimental machines.

The group landed in a creviced gap on a cliff nearby Forina as May fell flat on her bottom in exhaustion. Brendan was keeping Jirachi close as he knelt down to build a fire with Barry. Diane, on the other hand, was thinking about Butler's whereabouts.

"Diane?"

The woman turned to see a weary May standing beside her.

"Yes, May?"

"What was it that made Butler do this?"

"Several things, actually…" Diane looked at the valley below them. "But there were two main reasons. The first was to get revenge on Team Magma."

"I already know that." May raised an eyebrow.

"Since when have you known?"

"Two nights ago," May started. "I was sleeping when I had this dream of when I saw Butler in the Magma Headquarters as a professor there. He was presenting a project to a commander whom I know pretty well."

"Who is this Commander?" Diane asked.

"Karen." May answered flatly. "Well, he was trying to revive Groudon, but the experiment failed, and Karen laughed and expelled him from the organization. Then the last thing I remember was that he silently swore revenge against them and then he said he would save someone… By the way, who is that someone? Were you taken hostage or something?"

"No." Diane stared at the valley once more. "Of course not. That was probably when I was apart from him for ten years. Although he did tell me what you said. Oh well, my wish is to be with him for the rest of my life, once he stops going mad."

"Was he anything more than a magician?"

"Of course. He was part of the Ranger Union with Professor Isaac…"

"Him? My brother always watches him on TV." May laughed to herself. "Not to mention, he's a fan of Professor Oak and Professor Rowan as well."

"Oh. Is that so?"

Diane received a nod from May. "Well, May, your parents have never told you the truth have they?"

"What do you mean the truth?"

"The fact that… well… I know now's not the time…" Diane muttered.

"If this has anything to do with Team Magma and Aqua, then you must tell me, Diane." May demanded gently.

"Who are your parents, May?" Diane asked.

"Why, Norman and Caroline Maple!" May answered. "How do you not know? I'm the daughter of the Petalburg Gym Leader!"

Diane gave a grim smile.

"May… actually… they're not your parents."

"How can you say so?" May was slowly getting furious. "They are my parents. It's on my record."

"They're not."

"But I know them as my parents!"

"I'm sorry." Diane knew that this would be her reaction. "Your parents are not Gym Leaders."

"But!" May stopped and burst into tears as she walked out of the crevice where a cliff stood beside it. She climbed to it and she sat there, crying her heart out. Combusken, who had caught up with her, sat beside her in shock.

"How could she…" May sobbed. "…say that Norman and Caroline are not my parents?"

 _May…_ Combusken looked at her with sad eyes. _I didn't expect that, too, but cheer up. You can't fight Butler like this. He could be anywhere now._

"Combusken… I can't…" May sobbed as her Pokemon partner comforted her. "I feel too many feelings from everyone. It's hard to control myself now. You saw what I was like with Diane, yes?"

 _I know._

"I'm just afraid of going insane."

 _Hey. As long as Drew and Grovyle exist in this world, you won't go insane, cause he will never let you._

"Combusken, we've only known those two for two weeks." May stopped crying and laughed. "How can you relate them to us?"

 _I don't know._

"I'm happy now." May laughed. "Uh oh. I think I'm insane now."

 _I won't be afraid to use Flamethrower on my Master if she goes insane._

"Hey!"

 _Just kidding._

Drew's eyes fluttered open as he moved around to find himself on a bed in the Pokemon Center's hospital wing in the middle of the night. He glanced at his bandaged arm, and his partly bloodstained jacket. He surely remembered falling asleep on the floor, but not in the happy sort of way…

 _Drew walked calmly out of the Contest Hall in Petalburg. He was proud of his Grovyle and Flygon's performance. It was his best so far. He had beaten Harley yet again. His friend Solidad would be proud if she were there. He was proud, to be short._

 _He was on his way to the Pokemon Center, but then he noticed that the ribbon he received was the same color as May's bandanna. Bright cherry red was the color, he guessed. May was always so happy, but then she would get mad. He had only been with her for a week, yet he could predict anyone's attitude in mere seconds, but her attitude was giving him butterflies. If he also didn't mention it, May was beautiful as well._

 _He arrived in the doorway of the Pokemon Center, only to be tackled by several fangirls carry banners that bore his picture and name on it. He quickly dodged every arm that flew at him as he finally managed to shut the door of his room shut, and he hurriedly shut the blinds of the windows. He was panting rather heavily from running from those crazy girls. At least May was nothing like that, he thought._

 _He calmed down and walked to his closet, only to be tackled from behind. Drew pushed the attacker off him and got up, but he received a fist at his face. He hit the opposite wall with a loud thud. He groaned softly as he struggled up. He didn't even notice that his nose was bleeding, staining his purple jacket. The attacker stood before him with mad eyes._

 _Her appearance greatly reminded him of the sailors he would meet at the ferries he boarded. She wore a striped shirt that only reached to her navel. Her faded blue jeans were the same color as her faded teal bandanna. She had flaming red hair that fell to her waist in curly locks._

" _Who are you?" Drew kept his scared voice to a near bold tone._

" _I don't need to tell you." Her sly voice cackled. "I'm here to ask a favor of you."_

 _Drew stood up normally and faced her._

" _Well, what is it?"_

" _Well, do you know this girl?" She pulled a picture of a girl and boy. Drew glanced at it in surprise. It was May alongside him in the forest where they met Commander Karen. Something was rather suspicious here…_

" _Why do you want to know?" Drew shouted at her. He knew that the woman wanted to hurt May, and he didn't want that, but he found himself getting himself pinned to the wall with his arms behind his back. His shoulder blades were going to pop if the woman didn't let him go._

" _I ask the questions, and you didn't answer my first question." The woman was getting furious. "Tell me if you know her."_

" _I do…" Drew answered reluctantly, trying not to mention May's name, but half of him wanted to find out about the woman's motives._

" _Well, then. My quest for you is this. Where is your next contest with this girl?"_

" _Mauville City."_

" _Take your friend here with you to Truesdale Hill. I will be waiting there for you two then."_

" _Why do you want me to take her to this place?" Drew was intense. He found himself pushed harder into the wall._

" _I'm warning you. One mistake, and the last time you'll be seeing your friend here is in her grave, and her parents wouldn't allow that, would they? You wouldn't allow that, either, would you?"_

" _Fine." Drew agreed reluctantly. "I'll meet her in Mauville."_

" _Excellent. I'll see you then."_

 _Drew was dropped to the ground, and the last thing Drew could see for the day was the white wall dripping with the blood from his bleeding nose… and then black until a Nurse Joy found him there while trying to check what the commotion was._

"Mr. Hayden," Nurse looked worriedly at him. "You might have to stay for one more day, but a friend has arrived to visit you."

"Is it Solidad?" Drew moaned, still feeling some type of pain in his arm.

"I believe so." A voice rang out from beside him. Solidad was there, of course with her strawberry blonde hair flowing down her back.

"Hello, my little cousin." She looked at him. "Did you get into a fight this time?"

"No."

"Could you at least tell me?"

"It's hard for me to talk about this." Drew sat up painfully. "But I'll manage."

Drew explained his past moments with May and their encounter with Karen, and then he finally got to the part where he was to take me to Truesdale Hill. Solidad didn't seem too pleased with Drew's attacker's actions, but she remained calm. After Drew had finished. Solidad looked at him with concern.

"Hmm… interesting…" Solidad pulled out a notebook and began looking through it, and then showed it to Drew, who was flipping through once he got it. "This is what the PLE was talking about. That cave machine, and that woman who attacked you. We don't know what these new organizations are, but I'm sure it's not good at all. I still remember the chaos that ensued in Sinnoh when Team Galactic nearly blew the whole region up…"

"Well, what should I do about that deal?" Drew looked her, hoping for a wise answer.

"Well… since we both want to know why they want your friend…" Solidad pondered. "I guess you should let her go. Beside, isn't she the escape artist you said she was?"

"Can't I just go to Mauville now?"

"No. Just rest until tomorrow. I'll fly you there. And good luck."

His cousin then left the room, leaving him wondering about where May could be at the moment.


	9. The Last Wish

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 9- The Last Wish**

Morning has come to Forina, and the several rays of sunlight illuminated the cave. May stirred in her sleep, wriggling in her sleeping bag, until she rolled on top of Barry, who screamed in result. Everyone woke up in horror, and then they laughed at the terrified look on Barry. After Barry and Diane managed to make breakfast, they decided to explore the valley.

May and Brendan were amazed at the sudden abundance of Pokemon in the mornings, Pidgeys were flitting from the trees, hoping to find any berries to eat. A beeline of Bellsprout walked before the two trainers. Jirachi was amazed at the little change of its home, for it was a million years since the time it came out of its cocoon. Combusken and Tropius were called out, so Combusken requested a tour of the valley with her friend.

The grass dinosaur nodded and allowed Combusken to climb its back. May, who wanted to stay with Brendan for a change, allowed all her Pokemon (except Feebas) to come out. Combusken helped Eevee on to Tropius' back as he took off with Beautifly flying alongside him. Combusken looked at her other most trusted friend Beautifly.

 _Did you talk with Masquerain?_ Combusken grinned. Beautifly was rather taken aback by the question, for she was the one spying on the other Bug Pokemon when she and May would sit at the pool across from Drew.

 _What do you mean?_ Beautifly pretended to not know. Tropius and Combusken laughed.

 _Seriously, Beau,_ Tropius commented. _We know how much you like that guy._

 _How do you know?_ Beautifly got slightly aggravated.

 _Um… guys?_ Eevee interrupted the three. _Who's Masquerain?_

 _He's a Pokemon that belongs to May's rival._ Combusken answered. All three understood that Eevee didn't know of Drew.

Eevee then gave an understanding _Oh._

May walked alongside Brendan as they strode about the trees that formed a walkway for them. Brendan was currently holding a sleeping Jirachi with him. The two of them haven't talked for two weeks. Brendan was engrossed in his research and his quest to fill up his Pokedex, while May was busy with Contests and Battles.

"So… Brendan… how have you been doing?"

"Uh… me? Researching, of course."

"Like what? Did you meet anyone?"

"I saw that Harley guy more often, if that's what you mean."

"Anyone else?"

"I met this girl at Dewford two days ago. Her name was Alexandra. She's like you. You know, badges and contests, but she said she won't participate in the Pokemon League or the Grand Festival."

"I see…"

"Well, anyways, we talked a bit, and then we said goodbye. I have her on my PokeNavi."

"Nice."

"Yeah… How about you and Drew?"

"We had different contests to go to…"

Brendan looked away, possibly with some relief. Oh… okay…"

A pause ensued between the two as Jirachi remained snoozing in Brendan's arms.

"So what was it that you were yelling at Diane about? Barry didn't want to tell me."

"Oh. It's nothing." May turned away. She didn't want to pull her best friend into this.

"Come on, I'm your best friend."

"No." May kept looking forward.

 _*Yawn* Hi Brendan!_

Brendan looked down at his other friend, and instead had a conversation with it, leaving May deep in her own thoughts. Hours passed as she meandered away from Brendan to think of the events of the previous day. She heard a faint cry of a Flygon as she continued to walk down another path.

 _May!_

May turned to see Tropius, Combusken, Eevee, and Beautifly flying just above them.

"Hey you guys!"

She waved to them, as Tropius slowly descended, allowing her to jump upon its back.

 _Hurry up to the cave!_ Combusken urged at Tropius, while Beautifly was speeding ahead of May.

 _Oh no, what's going on?_ May asked.

 _Jirachi… Butler's back…_ Eevee muttered. May gasped. Tropius nodded and sped up to Beautifly.

 _Beautifly saw Butler in a machine grab Jirachi from Brendan back at the cave._ Combusken explained. _She found us, and then we saw you when we were heading back. She said right now that Diane and Barry are trapped with Bren near the cave._

"Well, no one gets away with that!" May exclaimed as she suddenly gasped in horror at the steel contraption. With her sharp eyes, she could see Jirachi, grimacing in pain as something strange was being carved into the ground.

"It's Groudon!" May shouted.

 _May we have to save Jirachi!_ Combusken urged.

"What about Bren and the others?" May looked at her.

 _Absol and Flygon are on the way there._

May, who was not so sure about what she meant, watched as Tropius took a sharp turn to the left to approach the machine. She returned Eevee for the time being. Obviously, Butler noticed, and he took his Salamence and went after her. May attempted to land on the platform of the machine, closely followed by a Hyper Beam. The deadly flare barely singed the ends of May's brown hair as she swerved to dodge. The enraged Butler then commanded another Hyper Beam.

"How dare you try to fight back!" Butler yelled after her as he landed on the platform to guard Jirachi.

May finally gave a jump onto the platform. Landing softly, she and Combusken stood to face the "mad" butler. He then returned his Salamence, while May was heading to Jirachi. He lunged at her, and pinned her to the ground. He looked up at the machines that indicated that the process was nearly complete.

Combusken was using all effort to get to Jirachi, but a field seemed to keep her out. May could only watch, but then the computer caught everyone's attention.

 _Copying Process Complete. Initiating Revive…_

May's eyes widened, and then they turned purple again. With suddenly unexpected strength, she swept Butler, who was surprised at her eyes, with her legs, so he came crashing onto the platform, and then the machine began to shift as May began to let go. Tropius and Combusken can just in time to catch her, while Butler was left falling into the trees below. May noticed him, and she commanded Tropius to go after him, much to her Pokemon's chagrin.

Her purple eyes returning to their original blue, May finally landed, and she rushed to see Diane and Butler. She looked at him with unforgiving eyes, but Barry and Brendan pointed at something.

It was Groudon, but it was not entirely like Groudon. Its stomach was crimson with beating black blobs inside. Butler looked at it in horror.

"It's… not Groudon… It's a virus Groudon…"

"No…" May muttered. She then saw that the Groudon began absorbing everything in its way…

"It's… it's destroying everything!" Diane screamed at the top of her lungs. Brendan and Barry could only watch. Then they all were pushed to the side as the Absol knocked aside, so he sacrifice himself for the oily blue tentacles that protruded from its back to absorb them. May screamed. It was after them as well. Then another tentacle came from behind them, snatching Diane in the process.

"NO! DIANE!" Butler screamed, trying to help Diane, but she shook her head.

"If there was one last thing I wanted to see, that would be your face…" Diane's words were only audible to the man she loved, as he strained to help her. "Goodbye, Butler…"

"NO!" Butler let go, allowing her peace. May stared wide-eyed at the scene, but then she came to her senses, grabbed Barry and Brendan, and tossed them upon Tropius, and then she mounted it as well. Butler, sensing what May was trying to do, mounted his Salamence, and they took off to the machine.

The ride was rather rough, for May had to maneuver her Tropius to dodge the swinging tentacles. Suddenly one finally claimed Barry, as Brendan tried to grab back to his new friend.

"Barry! Don't go!" May screamed. She couldn't look back, but she knew Barry was to go soon.

"Keep going, May!" Brendan's voice became more and more distant, but May couldn't look back, it was only Butler now with her. But then Butler's Salamence collided into Tropius, and May had to move on without him…

Just as she dodged swinging tentacles, May's eyes turned to its unnatural purple glow as she closed in. She looked at the pained Jirachi, and then she saw a switch that was most useful. Her eyes were much purple now. And she began to approach, but she stopped abruptly.

 _What am I doing? Why am I stopping?_ May thought fiercely, but she felt herself raising her hand towards the switch, as a strange purple fireball was forming in her hands…

BLAST!

Jirachi woke up from its painful trance.

 _Thank you, May. Let me finish this battle._

May didn't look at Jirachi, instead she was in a deep trance, and then she felt herself falling to the floor with a loud crash. Black again.

"May…"

The brunette haired girl groaned as she only felt fluffy pillows. _Where am I?_

"Whoa!"

May had pounced off the hospital bed in the Pokemon Center of Slateport, where some groups of people had been watching her for hours. She was then smothered with hugs from Diane and Butler, and some from Barry and Brendan.

"Guys! What happened?" May asked.

"Jirachi stopped it, and it went back to its hibernation." Brendan explained. "Too bad you didn't see it. We found you unconscious before he left."

"Oh…" May then looked at Butler. He saw what her face said.

"Your parents, right?" he asked.

May only nodded.

"Well…"

Here we have come to mourn the loss of two Top Rangers. Kate and Keith Smart…

 _Rhythmi sobbed… Butler and Diane stood beside her with Isaac, her husband, and their baby, Aaron. Melody held a young brunette girl from her Daycare Center, for she had just been called with no warning to attend the funeral. Dawn and Norman was crying. Only they knew of what secret their trusted friends had, but no one could know…_

 _They were the heroes of Sinnoh when Galactic attacked… And they have finished off Team Rocket in Kanto…_

 _Wendy was preaching at the podium, her eyes streaming with tears. Sven stood beside her as comfort. Barlow was wailing. Luana couldn't speak. And Crawford was silent the whole time…_

 _And they have stopped Cipher in Orre…_

 _Solana and Lunick, Kellyn, and Jaime, and Luna stood side by side, sobbing. Their role models… gone…_

 _but on that tragic week…_

 _Heath, Looker and Blake were each holding a handkerchief. But there were much too many tears to hold back…_

 _Those two were found dead in Slateport City in Hoenn…_

 _Saturn, the CEO of Galactic Industries, was crying as well. The two people who had reformed him, and got him a better life…_

 _We have valued their work so much… Rest in peace…_

 _The room was filled at Ranger Union. That day was the worst of days…_


	10. Realization

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 10- Realization**

"That's what the story was…"

"So my parents… they are 'presumed' dead?" May glanced solemnly.

"That's what Diane and I know. After all, they could have probably faked it and then worked undercover as someone else while they're still here. But I do know that they have given their whereabouts to certain people."

"Such as?"

Butler hesitated. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but even if you did know, these people wouldn't give it away anyways… Dawn knows… Wes and Rui know… um… The Dex holders know…. Well, some of them… But I don't think any of the Union knows… Nor do they know about you…"

"What?!" Barry exclaimed. "The Union doesn't know that Kate and Keith have a child?"

"I don't know why they didn't tell Erma, Hastings, or Looker, but I bet it was for May's security. But they'd eventually find out."

May wasn't listening anymore. She was spacing out. She had remembered learning about Kate Smart in school once. That book… about Rangers… She was rather interested in that page the most… But she didn't know that she had any relation to this woman… Then she remembered reading about how Kate had stopped Team Dim Sun by uniting the Tears of Princes… Wait… Just like the dream she had! She wondered…

"My powers…" May startled the silence. "How did I get them if I was not related to Dawn?"

"You're now related to Rui. That counts?" Barry joked. "But… she is Kate's distant cousin, so maybe that's impossible… But I know that Rui mentioned that a Gifted person always shows first signs as a baby, but you had none of those signs. And besides, that fireball thing was probably something no Gifted person can do… Well, Dawn doesn't like to use her powers anyways, so no comparison for that."

May looked away.

"I think I'll need some fresh air." May got up from her seat to exit the wing, where it lead immediately to the main hall. Just as she was going outside to train, a small pair of arms flung around her waist.

"May!"

"Max! What are you doing here?" May looked down at her once- brother.

"Hello! Brother!" Max waved his hand at her face. "Mom and Dad said that I could some see your Gym Battle and Contest for real here, so they dropped me off here!"

"You came just to see me?" May looked at Max with pleased eyes. He nodded, and was given a warm hug. Then a voice interrupted their reunion.

"Um… Are you forgetting someone? I need a hug, too…"

May spun around, her sapphire eyes meeting the emerald eyes.

"Drew!"

Drew got a hug, too, and a smug smile from Max. The green-haired Coordinator flushed red.

"You came for the contest?" May broke away, still smiling. Drew smirked again.

"Of course. I'd beat you now in the finals." He then brushed away a lock of hair that fell on his face with his right arm, causing May to gasp in horror.

"Drew…" May grabbed his arm. "What happened to your hand?"

"Oh. I fell of a tree trying to catch a Trapinch."

Max raised an eyebrow. "Trapinch don't climb trees."

"Well, it was actually a Ditto and-"

"Anyways," May cut off the lame explanation. "As long as you're here, all is well!"

She was rather happy to see her brother and her rival, but her head was flooding with questions.

 _Why did Norman not tell me about my parents?_

 _What were those shocks she had the previous nights for?_

She then remembered the package that Norman had given her… She had let go off Drew as she headed to a bench to open her backpack, revealing the brown package. She then closed it again and decided to retreat for the dorms… Diane, Barry, and Butler watched May go up to her room.

"I guess I'll be leaving… Dawn was heading for some non-Pokemon region. Some place called Japan and then Italy…" Barry was gathering his stuff as everyone else looked at him in confusion. "What? She didn't tell me anything much about what she was doing there!"

They all brushed off Barry's sudden digression. Drew went outside to train, Max ran after May, and Barry was already out the door, leaving the magician and his assistant alone.

"I wonder how May is doing with her contests…" Butler suggested to Diane. She nodded.

"May! Open up! It's Max!"

May fell onto her bed with the package in her arms, ignoring Max's protest to enter the room. Carefully, she tore open the paper that covered it to reveal a strange red device among the items.

The young trainer had no idea what it was, but it looked like something to put on the arm at the wrist. A small circular probe-like object was attached to the top end of the device, while a flap-like computer took up the rest of the space. She flipped the device over in her hands, noticing several dents beneath. She placed it aside and began to examine the other contents of the parcel.

"So this was what they were…" May talked to herself as she observed a picture of a couple in a red, black, and white uniform. The woman she recognized so clearly as the older version of the young female Ranger she saw in her textbooks. Now not only was she "that ranger in the book." Kate Davies Smart was her mother. _She_ was the daughter of a historical figure… May quickly put it aside. It was too overwhelming for her to realize this. Then the final item caught her eye. A Pokeball.

"What's this doing here?" May picked it up and opened the capsule.

A little blue penguin stood before her, chirping uncontrollably. It then made eye contact with the trainer with some sort of recognition. It then jumped at her feet and began to hug them in fear. May bent down and picked up the penguin.

"Lup?"

"It's okay." May held it close. "No need to be afraid."

The penguin gave her a stare and leapt from her arms.

 _Since when did I get scared? And why are you talking to me?_

May only stared. She could understand this Pokemon, too. The penguin looked into her sapphire eyes and then gasped.

 _You can't be… May, are you?_

"Y-yes…" May answered, slightly shaken. "I guess you belong to Kate."

 _Right… your mom, of course! And I'm Piplup, by the way._

Piplup walked to the door in a usual manner and turned to May.

 _Now, can you please open the door?_

"No, Piplup." May solemnly bowed down her head. "My brother outside would trample you."

 _Oh._ Piplup gave an understanding glance and then jumped onto her bed, noticing that May was shoving the picture of her parents and the red device into her backpack.

 _You should keep watch on that red thing at all times._ Piplup said in its proud informative way. _Who knows how it can help you?_

May just looked at Piplup in shock.

"How do you know about this?" May asked.

You don't think that a Pokemon Ranger's partner is ignorant of that red device!? Where have you been!?

"I'm not a Ranger." May answered flatly.

 _Well, then I guess I'll have to help you with this Ranger thing._

"How are you, a Pokemon," May exclaimed. "Going to teach me to be a Ranger!"

 _You'll see._

"FINALLY! MAY! WHY DID YOU SHUT THE DOOR ON ME!?"

And Max had to resort to using his dad's Munchlax. May sighed.

"Take the other bed."

Back to the Villa where the Elite Four resided, Marley was reading some Edgar Allen Poe book, Dawn was going through some papers, and Barry, Buck, and Riley were shouting at the TV, watching some PokeFootball Game.

"Come on! That Scizor must be on steroids!" Buck started yelling random things.

"Oh! Be quiet, Buck!" Riley, who was usually calm, unless it was PokeFootball, lay back on the couch.

"Keep it down, will you?" Marley nagged at her two noisy friends. Barry only looked back at Dawn. She had been so hooked up about the papers she had been given. He had never seen her so serious in his life.

Ding-Dong!

Marley, being the closest to the door, got up and opened the door. A blond haired mailman was standing before her, holding a silver suitcase with him. Since when did mailmen carry suitcases? His eyes were of a dark brown color, and he had a crooked smile. Marley could notice that a mustached man clad in a suit was standing behind the gate bushes.

"I would like to deliver a package to Dawn Platinum personally." The man asked in a kind tone.

"Dawn!" Marley called to the Champion. "Someone is here to see you."

Dawn calmly got up and strode to entrance, immediately noticing the man at the door.

"This had better be important," Dawn sternly looked at the man.

"Don't want to end up in a hospital without a bad reason, Hikari?" the man looked down at her. She was head shorter, after all.

"No need to worry about that." Dawn smirked. "I just want to know what's going on before you pull me out the door and make my friends worry."

"He needs your help." The man said, trying to get the message through clearly without blowing his cover, for someone could be watching them any minute. Dawn completely understood the statement and headed back into the house into her room.

Grabbing a brown like box and a dark purple ring, she shoved the two items into the pocket of some utility belt. She took her black jacket and put it on, hiding the belt. She then came back to where her friends were still hanging around.

"Where are you going, Dawn?" Barry approached her as she was about to leave unnoticed through the doorway. He noticed the blond man.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're with that baby kid ten years ago." Barry muttered, but Dawn placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's all right, Barry," She reassured him. "I'll be fine."

Barry sighed and gave an understanding nod as she exited the door with the blond mailman following after her. Barry could only raise his eyebrow in suspicion.

"Looks like she'll be coming back with more bruises and cuts like she did at fifteen." Barry spoke to himself as he retreated back to the football game, leaving Dawn and the mailman alone behind the gate.

"You seriously need a better disguise than that, Dino." She playfully slapped him. The man chuckled back and replaced his mailman coat into his normal brown leather coat. The other man hiding away behind the bushes came towards them.

"Shall we get going, boss?" the man asked Dino, who nodded in response. He then turned to Dawn.

"How long has it been since you retired, came back, and then retired again?"

Dawn only sighed. "I guess I'm out of retirement again, am I?"

Dino only laughed. "Come on, Hikari, we have a boat to catch, unless…"

"Okay. But away from the Villa." Dawn smirked at him. They walked to the town square and into the Pokemon Center where they found a way into the storage room. Dawn then put the purple ring on.

"Let's go." Dawn looked to Dino and the other man, and a purple sphere engulfed them, and within seconds, the sphere compressed itself, and the three of them were gone.


	11. Betrayal

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 11- Betrayal**

May woke up refreshed again, hoping to see Piplup on the bed. And there it was, sleeping with a bubble flowing in and out of its mouth, but ITS EYES WERE WIDE OPEN?! May jumped down in panic, waking Piplup, and its sleeping bubble burst. Max jumped from his bed.

"What kind of Piplup are you?" May asked.

"Any Piplup, if you ask me." Max commented.

 _What?_ Piplup crossed its arms. _Hurry up and get to the training area_.

"When did I say you get to boss me around?" May asked, getting up.

 _Because I'm a person like you._

"Wha? A Piplup as a human?" May got even more shocked. "What are you saying?"

 _Just get to the training area._

"Ugh…" May dragged herself to the bathroom. Max was surprised.

"Why did you talk to the Piplup."

 _He probably wouldn't understand that I can talk to them…_ May thought.

May was at the area with the strange red device in her hands. Piplup had already been waiting for her on a rock nearby.

"Uh… Training?" May reminded it.

 _Oh yes…_ Piplup perked. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Now you talk! No Telepathy!" May was getting the shock of her life. "You're saying you're human?!"

"Yes… I am human." Piplup suddenly spun into a Whirlpool, and the water tornado burst to reveal something May did not expect. It was a baby. Not just any baby, but some strange one. He wore a black fedora with an orange stripe, a green chameleon resting on the rim. He wore a suit with a tie along with dress shoes. He also had a yellow pacifier hanging from his tie. May was about to faint. _I think this is the worst shock. At least Max is off to get groceries…_

"How… can… you…" May stuttered at every word, but the baby jumped up and was about to give a swinging kick at her head when May's legs instinctively gave a few steps back to miss the kick. The baby landed on the floor perfectly, surprising May even more.

"I see that Maylene and Dawn has taught you well…" The baby muttered, shocking May with his words.

"Who are you!?" May took a step back.

"I'm Reborn." Reborn smiled. "And I will help you use that Styler of yours."

"Okay… This is a Styler…" May pointed at the red device she held. "But how can you be in a Pokeball?"

"That's a secret." Reborn smirked. "Let's get on with training. Have you heard of Team Magma and Team Aqua?"

May could only gulp. She could tell that this Reborn person is no ordinary baby, especially from how he attacked her.

"No…" May muttered.

"You better be careful now," Reborn commented. "They'll be after you really soon. You've been interfering with them, and they'll eliminate you if they want to."

May was nervous again. Eliminate her? Why would they? Unless…

"Put the Styler on already." Reborn nagged at her. "You're worse than No-Good Tsuna."

"Who's he?" May asked curiously, a little flustered.

"None of your concern." Reborn turned away. "Well, not yet, at least."

"Um…" May set the clasp of the Styler onto her right arm. "Done?"

"Okay, now try capturing this Pokemon." Reborn took out a Pokeball from nowhere and it revealed a Pikachu.

"But I don't know how to use this!" May cried. "How can I possibly-"

"Enough whining." Reborn tried to slap her, but she dodged it. "If your parents are Ranger prodigies, then use what you think you know. Hasn't Dawn taught you anything?"

"Um…" May hesitated. _I can't use my powers here… Not in the camera…_

"I've shut down all cameras around the training area." Reborn smirked. "No need to worry."

May hesitated some more, and then she closed her eyes. She began to probe through the farther parts of her mind, hoping to find a solution, and then she found something. Her eyes were open again, and she directed the Styler to Pikachu. She unwittingly pressed a button, causing a top to spin out and circle the Pikachu. May focused the blue energy from the Styler to her glove, which glowed in response. She began to wave her arm and then with one more swing, she could see the capture circle close in on the Pikachu and then finally disappear. She had captured the Pikachu. Reborn only smiled.

"Hm." He began walking out to the door, surprising May.

"Hey! Where are you going?" May shouted after him.

"You've completed your training," Reborn chuckled. "My work is done. Goodbye."

The baby then wandered off into the halls and out of sight. May only stood there with the Pikachu, not sure of how this would mean anything. Then someone came through the door. It was Drew.

"Nice show you had there." Drew laughed. "You were quick, too."

"Oh! Hi, Drew…" May jumped. "Mauville City yet?"

"Yeah. Just saw Max packing for you."

"You're coming with us?" May was walking off with him. He nodded. He felt happy, but melancholy. What if he couldn't stop them? Would May be okay anyways?

"Another badge for the case!" May did her victory pose outside the Mauville City Gym. Drew smirked, and Max was happy. They all decided to go back to the Pokemon Center for the night. And the night struck twelve, and Drew woke May up.

"May…"

"Hm?" May stirred.

"Let's go." Drew sighed.

"Where?"

"Just come."

"Okay."

May got dressed, and she came out, as bright as ever. Drew smiled, and he escorted her out of the Pokemon Center. Before he took out Flygon, he glanced at May.

"Did you bring your Pokemon?"

May nodded. She wasn't sure what Drew was going to do, but she would not miss a chance alone with him. He called out Flygon, but May had doubts at the instant.

"Why not my Tropius? It's bigger."

Drew looked at May. "My favor to you. You owe me one."

He helped her up Flygon, which cooed in excitement, and they took off to Truesdale Hill. They came to the peaceful hill, but just as May got down, her mind sensed the presence of a hostile being.

"Drew?" May asked.

"Yes, May?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Uh… Um…" Drew thought of an excuse. It was best she didn't know yet. But Oh well… Drew's head began to hang low.

"I'm sorry…" He muttered. May was surprised at Drew's answer.

"What do you mean?"

"You see…" Drew tried to explain, but he could hear the footsteps.

"Good work, Drew Hayden." A sweet and annoying voice came from behind May. May didn't have enough time to look when a Vine Whip sent her crashing to the ground. Drew was only staring in shock.

"You said it wasn't going to be like this!" Drew pleaded but he was knocked back by a strong burst of water.

"Did I?" The voice sneered. May was still recuperating from the fall. She had hit her head on a rock at the same time. She wasn't really paying attention that well, but she could tell. This was the elimination, was it?

"Hurry up and get her on the copter!" The voice yelled.

"May! No!" Drew screamed. May looked solemnly at Drew, who was surprised.

"May!"

"Don't worry about me…" May answered calmly. "This would happen some time soon, but when it's with you… that cannot be forgiven."

"You knew? All this time?" May looked at him as she was being dragged across the field. "May…" Drew could only stare. He was helpless. His Pokemon would stand no chance.

May felt herself hitting the walls of a room, she got up slowly, and adjusted to her surroundings. A Red haired… Aqua person was standing over her. May furrowed her eyes.

"You…" May growled, but the helicopter lurched back as it rose from the ground. May was tossed to the back of the helicopter. But she placed her feet on the back door, and sprung up at the red-haired Aqua Commander. She lifted her feet so she could kick the commander right into the stomach. Then another figure came into the room. It was another commander, but May immediately recognized him. It was that same person who had taken the Wingull.

"Shelly!" he cried and supported her. May had not time for this, but she then began heading for the exit. But a group of Grunts had run to block her. With no delay, She began to jump above them, jumping on their heads before she reached the entrance. With a strong, powerful back kick, she knocked down the doors and jumped off the helicopter. She then began reaching for her pockets and called out Tropius, but the ground was a bit too close before she was sent crashing into the forests. That was what Drew saw.

"May! May!"

May had been curled, almost unconscious, on the forest floor when she could hear Drew's calls. She was angry… angry at him for doing such a thing to her. Had he not known of Team Aqua and Magma?

"May!"

He was only a mile away. May pushed herself to get up, and then calling out her Tropius to take her back to the Pokemon Center. She was too weak to teleport herself (Hahaha… new ability for the Gifted ones)…

"May!"

Drew had sprung from the bushes and he could find the dent in the ground where May had hit. She was gone. Drew then looked up to see a Tropius flying off. So he too called out Flygon and flew after it.

"May!"

Drew had burst into the dorm room, not caring if Max was sleeping, or May would be there to slap him square in the face. He looked around for any signs of her, but none. Then something struck him hard. The first thing he saw was blood, a tiny puddle of it. Drew bent down to observe the red trails to find a single red rose. It had been snapped in two, and the thorns too were covered in blood. Drew could fell warm tears forming as he picked up the fragments. She was gone. And she hated him now. He had failed to help her like he told Solidad.

 _Drew was getting out of the car when Solidad stopped him._

 _"You know it won't be that easy, now that you know of them."_

 _"Yeah… But I will protect May. I promise…" Drew's bangs obstructed his eyes as he said this. "Team Aqua and Magma won't get her."_

 _Solidad gave a understanding response, and she drove away, leaving Drew in the front of the Pokemon Center._

"I'll train harder, and the next time, I'll protect you. I'll promise." Drew clutched the rose's stem, the thorns puncturing his own skin.


	12. Alex Cesarini Appears!

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 12- Alex Cesarini Appears!**

"May! Wait up!"

May was seething with slight rage, not really bothering about her brother. It was their entire fault… No. His fault. May looked at her hastily bandaged hands. Last night was rather uneasy one.

 _"Max, get up." May's voice was aggressive and stern._

 _"Ah!" Max scrambled out of bed, but then he stopped dead at May. "Your hands… what happened?"_

 _"No questions! Pack up!"_

 _"What about Drew?"_

 _"I said! Pack up!"_

 _"EEEEE!"_

"Perhaps I was too rough with Max." May sweatdropped. "He wasn't part of it, really…"

May could tell, they were only just off to the lift off to Lavaridge Town. She was not looking properly, for she immediately bumped into someone.

"Oof!" that was what came out of her mouth.

"Oh? Sorry, I wasn't looking…" a girl's voice came upon her.

"Oh… I was…" May looked up to see a girl a year older than her.

The girl had brown hair that reached to her waist, tied into a neat ponytail. She wore a blue sundress and a black T-shirt, which was worn to compensate for the formality. She wore sneakers, of course. And she had a yellow messenger's bag, decorated with the elaborate insignia of some organization May never heard of.

"I'm Alex!" the girl smiled. "Alexandra Cesarini! Hm?"

Alex grabbed May's hands and looked at them.

"This will not do!" She dug into her backpack. "Here! Let me bandage you up properly!"

"Eh?" Max looked at the girl, and then sighed in relief. "At least May won't be having aching hands from now on."

May only watched Alex as she wrapped her hands with new gauze.

"So…" Alex started. "How did you get these cuts anyways? Looks like you pricked yourself several times."

"Oh… well…" May didn't want to tell anything about Drew, or even speak of his name. "I just… um… forgot that roses have thorns…"

"Oh, really?" Alex laughed. "That happened to me once!"

May examined her hands a bit more. The cuts still sting a bit, but hopefully she'll survive through the path to Lavaridge.

"Hey, Alex?" Max came to the girl. "You mind coming with us to Lavaridge? I think May might need more bandages… she's reckless sometimes, especially when she is in a bad state like now."

"Oh?" Alex turned to May, who was rather nervous about Max's comment, but Alex was beaming. "All right, then! The more, the merrier! I was on my way there anyways!"

"Thanks," May grinned. "I guess I might need some more company."

"So… where do you come from, May?" Alex asked.

"I'm from Petalburg," May answered calmly. "… I mean… Almia…"

"You mean that awesome region where the best Rangers come from?" Alex was rather excited. "That's cool."

"Yeah… My parents are Rangers, too."

"That's even better!" Alex kept up with May's pace. "When I was little, I wanted be one… well, look at me now. I'm a Coordinator and Trainer instead. Well… I do think that I have a potential for something more adventurous, though…"

"Well… I guess I feel the same…" May sighed.

"Where do you come from?" Max, oblivious to May's answer apparently, turned to Alex.

"I come from Kanto!" Alex clapped her hands together. "Well, my family did originate from some non-Pokemon country called Italy, and then for many generations, we've lived in Kanto."

"Wow, that explains a lot about you." May frowned.

"Hm?" Alex stared at May's expression.

"You seem to be lying."

"Eh?" Alex nearly tripped. "What do you mean?"

"Your eyes are very easy to see through…" May sighed. "I can see deep melancholy…"

"Oh?"

"May!" Max scolded his sister and slapped her on the arm. "Don't go making people feel bad cause you feel bad!"

"Hm?" Alex looked at May. She seemed slightly unemotional, by the looks of her plain face and cracked smile. Alex had seen looks like this before. Could it be that May was… heartbroken?

"Well?" May demanded calmly. "Care to tell me the truth?"

"Okay. I am from Italy, but I'm just an orphan…" Alex sighed.

"Your parents…" May muttered. "Were murdered, were they?"

"How did you…" Alex was shocked. This girl could see right through her!

"Oi!" Max slapped May again. "You're making Alex feel bad! Sorry, Alex, May has that strange ability to see through people's feelings. Sometimes she bugs everyone with that. And you should be much more kind, May! Even if Drew-"

"Don't." May didn't face her brother, but her voice was stern and cold enough to silence him.

"Max!" Alex calmed Max down. "It's okay. If she's sad, then let her vent it all out. It's better now than at the contest in Lavaridge, will it?"

May looked at Alex. This girl really does understand me… May thought.

"The sun is kinda high up…." Max commented after an hour. "Can we have lunch? Oh! And a nap, too? I didn't sleep well… well, May dragged me in the middle of the night…"

"I did not." May sighed. "At least I carried you for an hour. You should have had enough sleep then."

"I'm only seven! Having only five hours of sleep is detrimental to my mental development"

"Okay! Okay!" Alex split the argument. "Let's lunch. And May and I can train so you can nap, all right?"

Max and Munchlax were snoozing under an oak tree, while May sat cross-legged on a rock, with all her Pokemon by her side. Alex stood before her, observing the Trainer's Pokemon.

The Combusken was rather confident about everything, judging by the proud stances it got into when it was in battle with the others. That was so much like Infernape, who stood beside her. May's Beautifly and Tropius seem to share a close bond as in friendship terms, similar to Alex's Pichu and Riolu. The Eevee, as brave as her Glaceon. The Feebas, full of great potential. May's team would beat any Gym Leader if they would keep to it. But Eevee…

"Um… May?" Alex asked the meditating Trainer.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever given thought to what your Eevee would be?"

"A Glaceon, I guess." May hesitated.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm going to do that in Sinnoh. Why?"

"Cause, I can help you."

May raised an eyebrow.

"How would that be possible?"

"Easy." Alex dug into her bag to reveal a crystal the size of her thumb.

Eevee started to approach, but May stood still. What was going on? May thought. Shouldn't I be stopping it?

"Vee?" The crystal and Eevee's paw made contact, and both glowed. May gasped at the result of this glow.

"You turned my Eevee into a Glaceon?" May looked, unblinking.

"Yep!" Alex put the crystal away. "I guess it's that easy, right?"

"Thanks." May gave another smile. "I really appreciate it."

"No prob!" Alex got up. "Come on, let's get training. I guess pitching camp here would be fine. Better than that sandstorm I just got caught in yesterday."

"Drew, are you sure you want me to teach you this? It is a dangerous form. My own master was barely defeated because of it."

"I'm sure, dad." Drew's green hair shielded his eyes. "I'm sure of it."

"Alright, then, but I won't go easy on you."


	13. True Colors

Secret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 13- True Colors

After a good night's sleep, May's attitude subsided, and she was back to her normal self. Alex had completely forgotten about May's comment about her past, and was cheerily walking alongside her. Max, who was just as fine, was smiling with the Munchlax.

"We should be here to the lift by now…" Alex suggested, looking at her PokeNav. "Eh?"

"What?" May looked at Alex's PokeNav.

"That's strange…" Alex started tapping in keys. "The location of the lift disappeared from the map!"

"What?" May and Max shouted.

"Hm… Oops!" Alex nervously laughed, pulling out a pack of batteries, which was empty. "Low battery… I must have forgotten recharge them. And I left them with that Brendan guy…"

"Now what do we do?" Max shouted. "We can't find the lift without a map of the mountain range!"

"Well, sorry?"

"'Sorry' does not count!"

May was not really listening to them anymore. She was slowly thinking. _How could we be able to find the lift? Hm? Something tells me to keep going in that direction… to that big crevice…_

May stepped forward and began walking… Combusken, now out of its Pokeball, followed after her. Max and Alex noticed, but they didn't budge.

"Oi! Where are you going?!" Max yelled after her.

"Just follow me!" May looked back at them. "I think I can find the lift!"

It was minutes after that they had found the lift station. Max punched into the air.

"Yeah!" He cheered. "We found it!"

Alex looked resourcefully at May, who was laughing at Max and Combusken's victory dance. _This girl…_ She thought to herself. _Seems to have some type of power inside her…_

May's smile then turned to a frown, she looked to the side, and stood firm, taking a pair of Pokeballs.

"Something's going on over there…" May looked to the others. "You might not notice it, but there seems to be some type of fire blast nearby."

"Come on, May." Alex stood still for a moment, but then she laughed at May's sudden change of behavior. "It could be Camerupt."

"I don't think so…" Max looked at them with stern gaze. "Camerupt aren't this loud. And this blast sounds hollow…"

"Let's go." May began to walk to the left of the station.

"Eh?" Alex caught up with her. "Why aren't we going to the station?"

"It's currently not open." May pointed to the CLOSED sign.

"Oh. Hehehe…" Alex laughed nervously again. "But why?"

"Team Aqua and Magma…" May stopped and turned to see a lift attendant standing nearby. "They're causing a ruckus. No one wanted to get in their way, so…"

"You mean those tiny organizations we see randomly on TV?" Alex asked. "How can they cause a ruckus?"

"Go see for yourself." The attendant pointed at the cliff.

May was the first to reach a cratered area where the projectiles of water and flames began to clash furiously.

"Whoa!" Max exclaimed, but a Magma grunt noticed them, causing May and Alex to be uneasy.

"Run!" May pushed the others away with her from the flaming beam that shattered the cliff. The three lost their balance, and they toppled into the rubble.

"What are you doing?" One of the other grunts yelled at him while she deflected a water blast with her Torterra. "Involving civilians in this is a brilliant idea, but that's not our objective. We were supposed to find that girl before Aqua!"

"Well… the girl's right there!" the male grunt screamed back, pulling out May's picture, and pointed at the surprisingly motionless version of her on a slab of rock.

"Well… well…" the female grunt grinned. "I guess our objective is halfway done."

"I don't think so!" An opposite Aqua grunt jumped in, attempting to grab May unconscious, but a Fire Blast blew him back.

"Missed!" Another grunt jumped in but a Vine Whip hit him.

"Hurry up!" the female Magma grunt nagged at her partner. "Get the girl already!"

"Yes, D20!" he was off to the rumble, but he only found the slab of rock where May had lain. " Wha? Where did she go?"

"Idiot D21! You didn't think she had legs?!" D20 pointed to a pair of figures standing before her. D21 turned to see May and Alex, carrying Max. May laid Max on her Tropius, which was on its way back to the station. She looked up at the grunts.

"You wanted to see me?" May asked, readying her Pokeballs.

"You want to talk," Alex pulled her team's Pokeballs out as well. "Then you'll have to get through me first."

"Shishishishi…" one of the Aqua grunts cackled. "So, we're both after you… Team up for just this once?"

"Yeah… something like that." D20 grinned malevolently, snapping her fingers. The steam cleared, and a crowd of grunts, both Aqua and Magma, surrounded them.

"I don't like to fight." Alex clicked her Pokeball. "But we have no choice… Eh!?"

Archie, who was overlooking the progress of the attack from far away, noticed the chamber door open. A red-hooded woman stood by him, noticing that the monitors were showing some group of stray trainers running from the battles.

"You came here for?" Archie didn't take his eyes off the monitors.

"I just thought that something exciting would happen." Karen answered.

"Hm…" Archie sighed, and watched. "Oh?"

"What?" Karen asked, her tone unchanged.

"Looks like those trainers are not really watching are they?" Archie pointed to the monitor where two brunette girls were pouncing off from an exploding rock.

"Silly trainers always get themselves in such sticky positions." Karen commented. "But something is strange about one of them… or should I say… both of them?"

"Could they be tough trainers, I suppose?" Archie commented to his subordinate. "They could make perfect additions to the movement."

"We won't be able to see their battles…" Karen reminded him coldly. "The squad there is holding Pokeball Disruptors."

"They're not opening!" Alex fruitlessly began to tap on her Pokeballs.

"Oh crap…" May muttered under her breath. She put away her useless Pokeballs back into her bag, reaching for something else.

"Eh?" Alex kept clicking the buttons. "Our Pokeballs aren't working? Why are yours working?"

"Shi shi shi shi…" one of the Magma grunts giggled. "You didn't think we prepared ourselves for meddling trainers, did we? Only the Pokeballs with the Magma crest is allowed to open, thanks to the Pokeball Disruptor we are wearing right now. Team Aqua got lucky. They had their Pokeballs open before they met us. Shi shi shi shi…"

"Now… let's just finish you off." The Aqua grunts said. "Go, Gastrodon! Hydro Pump!"

"Magma?" the little lava monster was confused as a disc began spinning around it, finally engulfed in light. It had been captured. The disc returned to its Styler. May's Styler.

"Blast yourself, bastards." May grimly commanded. The little lava monster then aimed the flame cannon at the grunt who barely dodged.

"What?" D20 was jumping mad. "A Ranger? But how can an owned Pokemon be captured?"

" There was a reason why you were after then, huh. You didn't think I was one of the ordinary ones, did you?" May smiled, her bangs covering her eyes. "Although it's not mine, I know that this Styler will capture any Pokemon!"

"Are you talking the legendary Vatonage Styler?" the female grunt was exasperated. "How would that exist? We destroyed it when we- Uh oh. Could it be…"

May didn't look up.

"You probably didn't need to." May smirked, which was something she never really did in her life. Has May changed during her journey? "I can see the whole story through your eyes."

"Oh?" someone behind May giggled. "You are surrounded. Huh!"

That person grunted in pain, and May looked from the corner of her eye. Alex was crouched, probably having accomplished a clean sweep at this grunt's legs.

"I don't think attempting to impale one of my friends with an axe was a good idea." Alex got up, tossing a broken axe away.

"Since when were Trainers this tough?" the grunts jumped. "And Rangers? Those type of combat Rangers are gone by now! We've eliminated them!"

"Oh, really?" May put her Styler away, still shielding her eyes.

"We don't need Pokemon to fight." Alex readied her fists. "Care to join, May?"

"Sure… why not?" May got down to a defensive stance

"Hm." The grunt snickered. "How primitive."

"Oh?" Alex narrowed her eyes.

"Okay, then, if you wish." The female Aqua grunt fired a water blast at them. "If you interfere with our war, then you both die."

"Hmph." Alex jumped and landed behind the grunt, kicking her from behind with a strong side kick. "Underestimation. Always happens to the bad guys."

"Oh, yeah?" another grunt asked. "What about your brown haired friend? She's gonna get a bad licking when you just left her wide open!"

"Uh… oh…" Alex muttered. She forgot that May was alone without Pokemon! Several fire blasts were making their way to the younger brunette.

"Hm." Archie smiled. "I guess Squad 8 found the girl now. All we have to do is unlock her power."

"Hm?" Karen looked up, but she turned her attention back to the monitors again.

"May!" Alex screamed, taking another grunt down with her signature side tornado kick. Smoke billowed from May's direction, and every gasped as they young Trainer remained intact.

"Wha! How did she survive that attack!?" D20 screamed. "No one can escape the Multi Fire-Attack!"

The brunette lifted her hands, which began to glow with purple orbs, and then into orange flames. May's lips showed some surprise to the sudden change in color, but she went on… Her eyes remained hidden under her bangs.

"Don't worry," She looked up, showing her eyes again. "I'll make it quick."

"Huh?" Alex and the grunts could not move. May looked completely different now. Her eyes were still its blue sapphire color, but they have taken a different shape. Instead of a round shape, they were angled.

"Let's go." May tightened her fists, which began to burst in more orange flames. May began her battle by jumping and then landing on a grunt's head. Then she landed on the floor with loads of grunts, both Magma and Aqua, jumping and piling on top of her. Alex was holding out on her own, taking several grunts by the second. May then burst from the crowd with more orange flames, sending them flying back to the walls of the cave. May's eyes widened in terror at what she did, but she returned to her calm self.

"Hmph." May's eyes suddenly calmed back to its normal round shape, while the flames on her hand disappeared. Alex looked at her.

"You aren't that normal, by what I see…" She commented, smiling.

May was in deep thoughts. That was strange… the power she got from the Gifted was in orbs, not flames. And it was orange… Her power has changed for some reason… could it be that Reborn baby? Or when she destroyed the machine that was hurting Jirachi?

"They weren't only trying to go after me, so it seems," May walk through the smoke, supposedly looking for other surviving grunts. "But the Aqua squad seemed to be going after this device."

The two of them came across a capsule machine, containing a meteorite. It seemed to have fallen of D20 when she was knocked out.

May picked it up, and put it into her backpack. Alex looked at May's face again. Her eyes were still normal, so she felt relief.

"What are planning to do with that meteor, May?" Alex looked at her friend.

"I'm sending it to someone I think I know. I doubt that we'll remember each other, though."

"So… her power is the key to making the red, blue, and green orbs activate." Archie snickered. Commander Karen looked at the monitor at May's face. This new look on her face was giving the commander the creeps for some reason. Archie noticed.

"Karen, are you all right?"

"Oh?" Karen looked at the commander… "Oh! I'm fine. I need rest. The paperwork yesterday was loaded."

The commander retreated off to her room. She looked at her right hand. She sighed again.

"I was probably just dreaming that I was some Ranger or something…"

She lied back on her bed, and let down her hood, her hair obstructed by the curtains of her window as a red-haired grunt looked through the keyhole. Karen turned around, putting her hood back on, went in the direction of the door, her hand reached for two twin swords.

"Come out, you."

"I don't have to." The grunt snickered.

Karen then swiftly began to slash the doors down with her swords, causing the door to split cleanly into two. The dust had been blown away, but no one was there… or at least, that person escaped. Karen stalked back to the window. For some reason, she was glad she went into the Aqua base to take a look at the Red Orb. Her objective to set the Trials were complete.


	14. Reaction

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

Chapter 14- Reaction

"Max, you all right?" A voice called upon the boy as he woke up in the Pokemon Center in Lavaridge Town. Alex was looking worried at her friend's brother.

"Where's May?" Max rubbed his sore shoulder.

"She went to go talk to someone on the PC."

"Ah! Who is this?" A blond-mushroom-cut haired man tiredly looked at a young brunette girl.

"I just have a favor to ask of you, Professor." May gave a serious tone.

"I'm now sure who you are, but what is it?" the man asked, hoping that life would be much more interesting.

"Can you investigate this meteorite for me? It's from Chimney-Top Mountain, and I think it can help with your research." May held up the container.

"Oh, of course I'll take a look at it." The man replied, smiling. "Which research are you referring to?"

"The Case of Kate and Keith's Death." May sternly answered. "You were, of course, secretly looking on about it while the case was closed, correct, Professor Isaac?"

"How did you know?" the man jumped. "And you know my name?"

"I look at my sources before getting the job done." May smiled. "I'll be sending this to you immediately."

"Wait!" Isaac pleaded. "Can you at least tell me your name?"

May hesitated. She didn't know what she could say. "… Haruka… Haruka Allen."

"Okay, then, Haruka…" Isaac smiled. "I'll be done immediately."

The screen closed, and May sighed. She wasn't so sure of how she was able to convince the guy, but at least she did it. Now she just had to wait.

"Um… Miss Maple?" the familiar voice of a Nurse Joy called from behind her. "I have an important package for you."

"Hm?" May turned. "What is it?"

"It's from your aunt, Dawn."

"Oh…" May hesitated, approaching the counter, noticing the Do Not Open until Further Notice sign. "Thank you."

May turned on her heel to get to the hospital wing to see Max, but she crashed into a certain sea-green haired woman in a lab coat.

"Oh, no!" May got up. "Sorry! I've been clumsy these days…"

"No worries," the woman sighed, picking up her clipboard. "I'm clumsy myself!"

"Mitsumi!" Another familiar voice called to them. May turned, to see Alex and Max, and another person.

"Barry?" May's eyes widened. "I thought you were back at Sinnoh!"

"Hehehe…" Barry walked away, with the sea-green haired woman running to him. "I was supposed to deliver something, that's what Dawn told me just today on my phone. Bye!"

"Hey!" May tried to run. "Wait!

"May!" Alex ran up to the brunette. "Barry gave me this package!"

She held up a medium sized velvet bag. May closely examined it. But nothing was strange about it, so she handed it back to Alex.

"Just keep it, and don't open it." May answered.

"What is this?" May looked at the brown package she got from the Nurse Joy, shaking the contents inside. "I hope it's something useful."

"It should be…" Alex looked at the bag she received. "Do you think this bag and your box could be related?"

"Maybe…" May sighed, and got up. "I'm off to train. The Gym Battle is in two hours. Apparently Flannery called me earlier."

"Okay." Alex got up as well. "I heard she has a great martial arts training place, but she's a fire type specialist, isn't she?"

"She's related to Maylene from Sinnoh." May commented. "And Maylene stops by numerous times here."

"Oh. My bad."

"Good work, Glaceon. You, too Combusken."

"Good job, Magmortar and Torkoal."

May looked up at the pink-haired Gym Leader.

"Wow… certainly like Dawn's style of Battling." Flannery smiled.

"Gee… thanks…" May gave her Combusken and Glaceon a smile.

"But something about you reminds me of something, May." The random comment caused May to jump.

"What do you mean by that?" May asked suspiciously as Alex and Max were on their way to rejoin her.

"You just remind me of an old friend… She's passed away now." Flannery's gaze was off somewhere else. "But congratulations, all you have to do is get through your dad, Winona, and Wallace!"

"Yeah…" May laughed, but she fell silent. It was weird considering that Norman isn't her father anymore…

"Come on!" Alex tugged on her arm. "We've got a plan to catch to Petalburg!"

"Oh. Right." May remembered, and she followed after them. Flannery stayed behind.

"Could it be?" she muttered in a low voice.

"Dad! You okay?" May ran up to Norman, who was on his knees.

"I'm fine, May…" he smiled at her. "It's been awhile since I felt defeat before from a battle."

"Really…." May sarcastically answered. "But you seemed shocked at how I battle, Norman."

"Oh?" Norman got up, noticing May's words, and became serious. "You seem to have found out about that little secret, have you?"

"Yeah…" May replied, drifting off. "Something's really bothering me."

"What is it, May?" Norman asked. "I heard from Barry that Team Aqua and Magma are going crazy over you or something."

"Yeah… something like that… but I don't know if you're the one who can explain this to me… but when have the Gifted sign been the color orange?"

"Beats me," Norman answered with hesitation, but he was getting worried inside. "I guess Dawn's the best person to tell you that."

"But maybe she can't," May added. "Dawn's not related to me, right? So how would I get the power of the Gifted?"

"May…" Norman looked at her. "That's would be Dawn's question, not mine."

"Okay…" May sighed.

 _May wasn't so sure of where was in this dream… She seemed to be underwater. Was she? She was breathing normally and not drowning._

 _"May…" A voice kept echoing. May whirled around. She was just seeing things._

 _"May…" The voice came back. May turned again to its source, and she was really sure of what she saw…_

 _A young brown haired woman, who was currently unconscious, was drifting into the depths of water. May tried to swim after her, but something kept holding her back. Even with her determination, May couldn't break free from the grasp of that feeling of giving up. She seemed to feel that she was drowning herself…_

"I'll be leaving, Drew. Your mother has a conference with NetGear so I have to go to this one."

"But, Dad?" Drew asked. "Aren't you going to stay and watch?"

"I only teach it once, and then leave the rest of the training to you." His dad walked away, not turning back. "Good luck, Drew."

"Um… yeah… Dad…" Drew went back into the house. His Roserade, looked worriedly at her master and his Sceptile, who was waiting at the entrance for Drew.

"Hello, guys."

"Hey, Jaime." Luna smiled. "You sure took your time."

"Yeah. You did." Aaron, who had just come out of the Academy a week ago grinned. "Wow, how long has it been since we've been in the Ranger Union? A week? And we're like eleven years old!"

"What do you expect?" Jaime grinned. "We're prodigies. We couldn't stay at the Academy when we were already passing the finals in one month."

"Makes sense…" Luna hesitated. Her Cyndaquil squeaked with delight at the sight of Jaime's Turtwig.

"You sure make the best trio." A voice came from behind them. They turned to see Kellyn and Isaac approaching them.

"Hey, Kellyn!" Jaime joyfully waved, but he got serious. "What's the big mission you were boasting about?"

"I wasn't boasting." Kellyn sternly looked at him. "Anyways, let me explain."

Isaac pulled out a container.

"I've just received this meteorite from someone named Haruka Allen." Isaac explained. "But obviously, she's May Maple, the gym leader's daughter."

"Her?" Luna spoke up. "I've been watching her contests…"

"Yes…" Isaac understood. "Chairperson Rhythmi does not know that we are investigating the Smarts case. So you must keep a low profile when giving each other reports. This meteorite is a clue. It comes from Chimney-Top Mountain, where their bodies were found. Just lately, Magma and Aqua were in a little rumble there."

"So we investigate there?" Jaime asked.

"No." Kellyn answered. "You are to infiltrate Team Aqua as grunts. You are to be the new recruits for their independent branch, led by the Sea Phantom. Surely, you know all about him from Jackie?"

Luna and Jaime nodded.

"Apparently, I suspect that he's after the crown again."

"Man, he's that persistent?" Aaron asked. "And I thought Dawn and Ash stomped him out a long time ago with Jackie."

"Well, he's on it again." Kellyn continued. "You guys are the best we've got, so I'll leave the rest to you. Just remember, Rhythmi thinks you two, Luna and Jaime, are on vacation. Got it?"

"Understood." The two answered. "Let's go."

"And Jaime?" Kellyn gave a final comment.

"Yes?" Jaime looked to his cousin.

"You might meet your long-lost sister again." Kellyn grinned.

"Yeah…" Jaime shifted his gaze and ran after Luna.

"Those two make a great pair, do they?" Isaac commented. Aaron laughed.


	15. Chapter 15

Secret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 15-

"May?" Alex asked the next morning. "Are you sure you just want to fly to Fortree City?"

"I need to get there as soon as possible." May placed her cup of juice down. "It's critical that I arrive there, I think."

"Okay." Alex went back to her breakfast. Last night, May had told her everything. From her training with Dawn to the time she had met Reborn and left Drew on the same day. Max was there as well, but he was mortified to hear that May was not his sister anymore. He was probably still recovering in his bedroom.

Norman overheard the whole thing, but he didn't come into the kitchen. He was still surprised that May had changed significantly since she left the house. May wasn't really herself. She seemed sad about something while being concerned about something else as well, but he strolled into the room as always.

"Morning, girls." He went into the refrigerator to get some milk. "You slept well?"

"Maybe." May smiled. "But yeah…"

"Absolutely yes!"

"Oh?" Norman smiled. "Well, then I'll tell Max to come, too."

And the gym leader strolled out. Alex then whirled to face May.

"So why are you going to Fortree?"

"I need to get the badges as soon as possible, so I can head to LaRousse City for another Contest, and the research lab there." May took another sip from her cup.

"I see." Alex ate the last piece of pancake on her plate, and then got up to leave it at the sink so Caroline could wash it.

"How much time until our departure?" Alex asked.

"An hour, I suppose." May looked at her Poketch. Alex came back to settle down with a cup of water. May's expression remained half-happy and sad. She then set her cup down again, and looked at Alex.

"Alex," May's eyes were flickering some interest. "What happened when your parents died?"

Alex was serious and then she took a gulp of water before taking a breath to start.

"I was only five when it happened." She began. "But I can still vividly remember it. It was a dark time in Italy for my parents. Another family was hunting them down.

"Hurry!" A suited man called to a young woman and two small children. "Your husband will take care of the rest."

 _The woman nodded and followed. She was panicking about her husband. He was a strong man. His friends looked up to him with great respect. But he did seem to hide something from her and the children. He would come late at night, sometimes with a bruise on his shoulder or on his cheek. He would usually brush off her worries saying that it was a game they had. The woman didn't understand how injuries would happen in the little games he mentioned, but she didn't ask. He's saved her a couple times, but she could never repent for his braveries. Now he was being cornered by an angry mob without her noticing._

 _"Hurry! They're closing in!" The blond suited man called to her. "We don't have much time! Aria-san is waiting for us at the car outside!"_

 _The lady then handed the two children to the man._

 _"Take the two of them with you." She looked at him, her eyes flooding with tears. "I have some unfinished business."_

 _"But miss-"_

 _"No." The lady interrupted him. "I must help my husband." She unfastened the two necklaces that bound the star pendant she wore together. She handed it to the man._

 _"When the two of them are ready. Please tell them everything, Gamma."_

 _The man nodded, and the lady was left alone. The blond man jumped out with the two toddlers. A black haired woman noticed his arrival. She held the two children now and got into the car._

 _"Where do we go now?" Gamma asked the woman._

 _"I know just the place…" the woman smiled, and Gamma understood what she meant was driving off to the airport._

"That's what I remember," Alex set her cup down. "The man who carried me and the other child away raised us individually until I was eight in Kanto. I've always asked of my parents, but he wouldn't answer. Yet that other person with me… that person was probably related to me, but I don't think that would happen. All the man who raised told me was that if I met that other child, then I would connect this item that was left of my mother."

She fumbled in her bag for a second, pulling a necklace carrying the fragment of a pendant. It was half of a shattered star, with half of a topaz gleaming in the kitchen light. May only stared intently at Alex with occupied eyes, and then she turned away.

"Hm… that's strange…" May began. "What type of family would go after another's?"

"What I do know is that the world my family lived in was a dangerous one. A selected few could trust each other, and everyone had to keep their guard at all times because there could be a traitor amongst them."

"What a hard life." May's voice was grim, as if she could understand. "Funny. I remember a small portion of a conversation my parents had. They were talking about that world, I think."

"Whoa." Alex was surprised. "Well, my mind's all blurry after that."

"Hm… Oh? It's half an hour already. I guess we should check our packs before we go."

"Yeah."

The two girls got up and retreated to May's room.

"Wow! That took how long? Ten seconds? I didn't know that your Glaceon was that powerful."

"Well, it has a large power reserve." May grinned.

"Well, you earn your badge." Winona tossed the Feather Badge. "I love your battling. Good luck at Mossdeep and Sootopolis! And say hello to Wallace for me, will you?"

"Yeah! I will!" May smiled and her friends joined them. Max was still having trouble accepting the truth, but he was rather happy that May had won.

"Now we have to go again?" Alex asked wearily. "I don't think I can stand another speedy flight on your Tropius."

"Don't worry." May smiled. "We can take the plane if you want to. There's a contest today, too. But we'll stay there overnight. All right?"

"Oh, boy." Max sighed. His sister, uh, friend was so speedy today.

"Arriving in Hoenn." Luna spoke through her brand new comlink. "Operation: Infiltration commence."

"Understood, Luna. I accept your mission." Aaron's voice came through. Jaime nodded in understanding. The two of them were dressed as Aqua grunts, and they hid their Stylers in their back pocket.

"I hate this." Luna sighed. "It's so annoying to wear bandannas."

"Actually, you look kinda cute." Jaime laughed, and received a slap on the face.

"The Phantom's waiting. Seriously."

Jaime's smile faded. He dug into his pockets to take a final glance at the broken necklace. It was half of a star with a yellow topaz in the middle. He sighed. _I hope I'll find you, oniisan..._

"Honestly. You're going too fast!" Alex yelled to May's progress. In five hours, they were already through three cities already.

"May!" Max yelled. She flipped her final badge. She smiled with content.

"Wow. To finish three gym battles in one day." Wallace chuckled. "You are very ambitious, are you?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, then, can you do something for me, since you're going to Larousse?"

May hesitated. "Okay."

"Well, can you take this package?" Wallace handed it to her. "I'm kinda aged, so I can't travel there quickly. Dawn had stopped by before she left Hoenn, though. She was to give me thing package. I was sworn to secrecy not to say what's in it, but I'll say, it's green, indigo, and purple."

"Good hint." May smiled. "I've been receiving packages lately. So I guess I'll take it."

"Just leave it with Professor Lund at LaRousse for me, please?"

"Yes… I will…" May clutched the package as she turned on her heel to leave for the Pokemon Center.

Dawn sighed as she walked about the streets of Italy with Dino. They were not on a date, really, but more of on an investigation. It wouldn't be a date anyways, since Romario was right next to them.

"You still worried about May?" Dino looked at her with concerned eyes.

"Yeah… what if she doesn't figure the puzzle out?" Dawn continued to look forward.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine. The Varia should be here somewhere."

"No duh." A voice came from next to them. A sea-green haired woman with a long zigzagged ponytail approached them with another blond man with a orange and white striped shirt under his black overcoat.

"Mitsumi… Barry… so you did get the call." Dawn looked at the two, smiling.

"Yeah… Yusei and Aki should be here anytime soon." Barry smiled.

"Nice to see you, Dino." Mitsumi smiled.

"Yo." Dino grinned widely.

"Shishishishi…" a voice came from an alleyway. The four of them turned to see four people walking towards them. A woman with magenta hair two long locks of hair on her side was at the front. She wore a suit with an indigo blouse. Behind her were three men. One was wearing a blue jacket with orange jewels on his shoulders and elbows. He had black hair that resembled a crab and yellow highlights. The other two men were probably much normal-looking than the two first mentioned. Maybe not.

The first of the two had long white hair; anyone could wonder how he kept his hair in good condition when he was in bloody swordfights. The other had a little silver crown that topped blond messy hair the covered his eyes.

"We saw them on our way here," Yusei gave a grim look to the longhaired man.

"Vooooiiiii…." That man talked back. "I can beat you up, if you want me to."

"We don't need anymore trouble." Dawn looked sternly at the man. "Squalo, put your sword down."

"Fine." The man looked at her calmly. Dino had to hold back a laugh. The swordsman was always soft towards Dawn ever since their first mission together. At first they hated the thought of working together, but now he were always so grateful to work with her instead of the Vongolas, as Dawn was with the rest of the Varia.

"Well, let's talk." Dawn opened a door to a building, turning to Aki and Yusei "I hope you two have delivered your package."

"We gave them to Wallace just yesterday." Aki smiled. "Mitsumi gave hers at the same time.

"Let's go."

Drew walked down the steps of his summer home. He wore a big smirk on his face. He had actually finished his training. He took his backpack up and started for the door. Roserade noticed that he wasn't just wearing a backpack. He held a bag that was narrow.

"I'm ready." Drew said to himself. "The next train to LaRousse is in five minutes. I have a good feeling she'll be there."

Drew kept on walking to the station that was a mile away. Under a single tree beside the house was a shadowy figure. The figure was of small stature, and the little mafioso's head peeped up.

"I see why he would be fit to be a right hand man." Reborn chuckled. Colonnello, who was on a branch above him got impatient.

"Can we get going, maggot?"

"Yeah… the rest of the Arcobaleno might need some assistance." Reborn smiled.


	16. Misunderstood

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

Chapter 16- Misunderstood

"Ah… We're here!" Alex sighed. "At least we have a break for once!"

"I agree." Max sighed. May was excited. Another ribbon the last night, and finally LaRousse. She was so ready to look at the museums on technology and the Battle Tower.

"Let's get going to the Battle Tower!" May looked at the other two. Max was getting angry at May's sudden suggestion, but Alex was different.

"The Battle Tower?" Alex jumped. "Count me in! I love Battles!"

"Come on, let's go!" May smiled. Alex nodded, and she dragged Max with them. But then she felt herself moving, and then she was running in one place.

"Eh?" Alex panted. "Wha? What is this? I'm moving!"

"It's a moving sidewalk, silly." A voice came from next to her. Alex fell flat on her bottom and looked up. A brown haired boy looked down at her face.

"Oh! Right! You are?" Alex asked. May and Max had caught up with them.

"Rafe." The boy held out a hand for Alex to grab hold onto as they got up. Two teal-haired fraternal twins were staring at the three newcomers.

"You three are new, right?" the boy twin, whose long hair was tied into a ponytail, asked, laughing.

"Don't embarrass them, Rua." The girl twin, her hair cascading to her shoulders, elbowed him. "You were just like them when you came here the first time."

"Well, it can't be helped." Rua smiled. "You teased me when that happened, Ruka."

"Hm?" Alex got up. "You guys argue a lot."

"Well, we do." Ruka smiled, and gave Rua a dirty look. "He usually starts it."

"Hey!"

"Um… excuse me?" Max asked Rafe. "You know where the Battle Tower is?"

"You're lucky you're going the right direction." Rafe chuckled. "It's right there."

"Oh…" May and Alex were astounded by the size of the building.

"Tag Battle Partner?" Alex asked. May nodded.

"You bet!"

The monorail to LaRousse slowly came to a stop as a certain green-haired Coordinator stepped out. He felt the refreshing breeze that blew in the summer as he headed straight to his favorite coffee shop. The line that day wasn't so bad as he hoped. Once he got to the counter, the middle-aged cashier noticed his face.

"Hello Drew," the woman laughed heartily. "You want another cocoa?"

"Sure, Margie." Drew smiled, immediately taking out a Pokedollar to pay.

"I heard from your dad that you've been training hard for something." Margie smiled as she handed the receipt to Drew. "You've changed since I've babysitted you."

"I guess." Drew watched Margie take a cup from a stack of them and begin filling it with the hot beverage.

Margie placed the cup on the counter for him to take it, but she gave him a little serious look.

"He taught that technique, did you?" Margie smiled. Drew gave a defying glance.

"I guess." Drew smiled.

"Good job for you, Drew!" Margie smiled. "I have other customers, so I can talk to you at five, okay?"

"Okay, Margie." Drew settled onto a chair where battles at Battle Tower could be seen. Drew wasn't really amused by it. He was intently focusing on what she would say when she saw him.

-and the winner of this battle is… May Maple and Alexandra Cesarini!-

Drew's head immediately turned to the TV and saw her face again. She was actually happy. He smiled.

"So…I was correct." He pulled out his cell phone.

 _Hello? Who is it?_ A boy's voice came through.

"It's Drew."

 _What do you want me to do?_

"Can you find May for me, Tory?"

 _… Sure!_

"Yeah!" May cheered with Alex. "We won! Now the final battle before set a new record!"

"Yeah!" Alex agreed as they walked into their respective elevators that would take them to their final battle individually. May's head was filled with confidence. She was going to win, but when she came into the arena, she noticed something strange.

"What? Alex? Where are you?" May shouted, suddenly noticing that the person at the Blue corner on her side was not Alex at all. Instead, it was a young boy, probably her age. He had pale blue hair and he wore a sky blue sweatshirt, dark blue jeans, and blue shoes. He was rather frightened by where he was.

"Huh? Why am I in a Battle room?" the boy wondered aloud and turned to May. "Oh? You're my partner then?"

"Wha?" May looked surprised. "Who are you?"

"Tory Lund." The boy smiled, brandishing a Pokeball from his pocket. "You are?"

"Ma-" May was interrupted by the announcer.

"The final battle will consist the Most Powerful Trainers in the Arena! On our Right side here are May Maple and Tory Lund! On our Left side there is Rafe Peterson and Alex Cesarini!"

"What the?" Alex looked at May, surprised. "Why are we on different sides?"

"This is an all-out battle heating up! Let's go!"

"Sorry, but I can't hold back, best friend!" May took out her Pokeball. "Go, Blaziken!"

"Me neither!" Alex tossed hers. "Glaceon, let's get this started!"

Tory smiled and tossed his. "The stage awaits you, Electivire!"

"Huh?" May looked at her new partner. "Isn't that exclusively from Sinnoh?"

"Yep!" He smiled.

 _He must be a powerful Trainer…_ May thought.

"Blaziken, Battle!" Rafe took out his most powerful Pokemon.

"Oh! Two Pokemon of the same type! This will get interesting!"

"Wow, you're a tough one, May." Rafe laughed at May, who smiled nervously. "For someone with all their badges, you must be that strong."

"I'll beat you, someday, May!" Alex jumped. "I'm sure of it! I can't part with Battling!"

Max looked at the two girls.

"It's nighttime. So where do we sleep? The Pokemon Center is booked all the way through with the Contest coming."

"Oh?" Alex and May sweatdropped. "Didn't even consider that…"

"You can stay at me and my friend's place." Tory's voice resounded through the empty hall.

"Tory?" Alex looked at him. The blue haired boy smiled awkwardly as she came to hug him.

"I didn't even know I was battling you!" Alex jumped. "You've changed so much!"

"Sorry about that…" Tory smiled warmly. "Although the MC did say my name before the battle started *sweatdrop.*"

"Well, get going, then!" Rua and Ruka said in unison. How typical of twins.

"We'll see you later!" Rafe waved as Tory ushered May, Max, and Alex out of the entrance.

The Lund residence was a big mansion, complete with lush gardens, a battle room, and other necessities. Max was at a loss for words at the height of the stairs.

"Whoa!"

"Here, take these two guest rooms." Tory pointed up.

"Thanks, Tory, you're the best." Alex winked at him. He smiled back.

"Well…" Max asked. "Can I sleep in the one with the bunk where Alex is? May is horrible when she sleeps…"

"It's okay, Max!" Alex cheerfully smiled. "You're welcome!"

The two of them left them, leaving May and Tory behind in the greeting room of the mansion.

"You've traveled through Sinnoh with Alex before?" She asked him.

"Yep! Look at her now. She's as happy as a bird…" Tory smiled.

"You have an interest in Alex?" May asked out of sudden curiosity.

"We used to…" Tory's smile faded. "We've never really been the same when I told her I liked him."

"Oh…" May became grim. "I'll be going into my room, then. And do you have Internet here?"

"Yeah." Tory smiled as she nodded thankfully and ascended the stairs. When the doors closed, he took a deep sigh.

"Hey, Drew…" Tory grinned at his always-sarcastic cousin. "She's here, if you want to talk to your girlfriend."

"Hey." Drew smirked as he got up the stairs. "She's not my girlfriend. Not yet."

"She's probably still on her laptop, last time I checked." Tory smirked.

"Okay." Drew waited outside the door where May was behind. He sighed as he knocked on the door. A chill rolled down his back as the door slowly opened. Sapphire met emerald. Drew was nervous and the he relaxed as May remained emotionless. She pursed her lips in surprised, and Drew was relieved. She then raised a hand and fiercely gave Drew a strong slap on the face.

"Ow…" Drew groaned as he rubbed his reddening cheek. "What was that for?"

"I just needed to vent out my final bit of anger." May sighed, and pulled him into the room. Her eyes were full of relaxation once again. "You wanted to ask me something?"

"How did you-" Drew was shocked by May's sudden sense of intuition. May stopped him by turning from him. A moment ensued before Drew took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry…" Drew spoke up. " Sorry I made you angry. I should have told you earlier… I-"

"No, Drew." May didn't look at him. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Drew looked at her with wide eyes. "You didn't do anything…"

"I did." May sighed. "I left you, didn't I?"

"But you were mad at me…" Drew's voice was much softer. May had always wondered what would happen if he was softer and less sarcastic, and now she smiled to herself as she was still not facing him.

"I left you to sink in your own self-pity…" May reasoned. "That's not what friends should do."

"Friends?" Drew gave a defying glance. "We've never been friends. We're rivals, remember?"

"Oh, then I'm sure there was another reason why would want to bring me to Truesdale Hill, huh?"

Drew's face was reddening again.

"Well, uh…"

"Say it already. It's no use hiding that red face of yours." May turned to him.

"I… uh… um… I…"

"Never mind." May walked to him, and wrapped him in a tight hug. "As long as you're back, I'm happy."

"I… uh… thanks… I didn't expect you to be this accepting…"

"Yeah… me neither…" May pulled away. "I'm probably staying here for a week. You're happy about that?"

"Yeah… sure…" Drew got red again.

"You sure gotten softer the last time we met." May laughed.

"People change, right?" Drew smiled, his red face changing.

May calmly sat down on her bed.

"You know anything about Team Aqua and Magma?"

"Well…" Drew was about to explain but May looked up at him.

"That commander that attacked you… you remember what she looked like?"

"Huh?" Drew, shocked by May's sudden way of knowing how he broke his arm, took a step back. "How did you know?"

"Your face tells the whole story," May laughed. "It's just something Dawn taught me when I got training lessons from her."

"You actually got training from her?" Drew got surprised again.

"Yep!" May smiled at him. "Sit down. We have all week to talk."

"Y-yeah…" Drew hesitated and sat down with her. He wanted to tell her everything about his training, but he decided not to. _Let's make that a surprise for her._ He thought, and smiled.

"The Manaphy Egg has been recovered." One of the grunts announced. The inane sea captain cackled.

"Excellent…" He sneered as he reached to touch the capsule of the egg. "The Sea Crown will be mine again…."

"Yeah right." One of the grunts defiantly said, kicking the capsule out of reach. The capsule spun in the air like a football, and another grunt caught it.

"Eh!?" the Sea Captain jumped back, noticing that those two Grunts were rushing off to the exit. Angry, he pulled out a button.

"You didn't think I watched out for Rangers, too?" He laughed, summoning several squads to take them down. The two Rangers smiled, took off their bandannas and sunglasses, and got into a defensive stance. Within seconds the attacking grunts fell unconscious.

"Huh? Combat Rangers?" Sea Phantom shouted. The two of them got up and smirked.

"Bye." Jaime laughed and Luna's Cyndaquil produced smoke throughout the room, and after the smoke cleared, they were gone.

"NOOOOO!" Sea Phantom screamed, and he rushed madly to the control board. "I'll go after you and show you the new power even that damn Jackie wouldn't defeat. You Rangers are useless, even if you know the Combat abilities of the Golden Generation! Ha!"

The second in command was rather frightened by the Sea Phantom's sudden behavior. Well, he did make sense. After his robotic boosters failed, the Phantom replaced his entire body with Cyborg parts, all weapons included (scary). He sighed, and got to overlooking the squad as the Phantom angrily ranted on about how he would defeat the "scum."

"So… that explains why you were able to make that Pokeball float…" Drew looked at her with concerned eyes, but her face turned sad.

"Well, there's been a problem with my telekinetic abilities…" May muttered. "I haven't told anyone yet, though. It seems I can't make things float anymore…"

"But those orange flames you mentioned…" Drew analyzed. "I think we can find information about that in the Lund Laboratories… Team Magma and Aqua perhaps?"

"Yeah…" May sighed, and she leaned forward, resting on Drew's shoulder. He began to blush madly as she slowly falling asleep. But before she even lost her consciousness, she whispered to him.

"I love you, too…" Drew blushed fiercely at her last words for the day.


	17. The Databases

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 17- The Databases**

"Hurry up, Drew." May nagged at the emerald haired boy. "I can't just stand here."

"Well, now you what it's like for me to wait for you." Drew chuckled, and he received a playful slap on the arm. He opened the door for her, and they were walking in silence off to the sidewalk.

"May… it's this way." Drew pointed to the corridor as the girl was about to turn in the wrong direction. "At least the receptionist was nice enough."

May laughed, palmed her face in embarrassment, and followed him. She had brought her backpack with her. She was still wondering about the packages' contents and the Styler. She was even surprised herself when she found that Stylers could capture owned Pokemon.

They reached the end of the hallway, and with the ID card's swipe, the automatic doors slid open, revealing a whole set of computers. May quickly got to one, and began her search for an answer.

"Max, wait for me!"

Alex was chasing after Max, who was chasing Munchlax on the lawn of the Lund mansion. Tory, Rafe, Rua, and Ruka (the three of them stopped by) watched and laughed as Drew leaned on one of the pillars in front of the doorway, looking up to the open skylight where May's room was. There she was busily tapping away on the laptop. Five days have passed. She was in and out of the mansion, dragging Drew with her, off to visit Tory's dad or go to the LaRousse University Library (surprising that she could have access to secret documents whenever she mentioned Smarts Case).

It was just the two of them. May was absorbed in what she saw from computer. It was on the backgrounds of Archie and Maxie Goodwill. Both were brothers who had different views of getting power, Drew had deduced. But there was at least something they shared in common, besides blood relation. They were known as notorious criminals in the Non-Pokemon Regions… May paused.

"Notorious, huh?" May got all sarcastic. "Let's look at that a bit more…"

But then she wished she hadn't searched it all… All these horrible things… Why did they do it? Did they want her so badly? And ah, yes. Kate and Keith Smart. She typed in their names and got the following bits of information:

Associations with: Isaac Smith… Rhythmi Summers Smith… and so on… The Smarts Case… both sent on an investigation in Hoenn… bodies found at Chimney-Top Mountain… with red and blue emblem pictured here…

May was getting tired of this. This was not helping her a bit… Then she came across a button. Isaac's theory… Hm…

Isaac, who was a close friend of the two rangers, has been investigating on the case. He theorizes that the two are still alive, for he and his assistants discovered that the DNA of the bodies found were no match to the Smarts. Because the idea of the Rangers' disappearance had insufficient proof, the theory was shelved.

May scrutinized the information. She was sure that those emblems she saw on the picture were Team Magma and Aqua's, was it? She took notes, and continued while Drew was sleeping away with his head resting on the table. Then what about Dawn? She typed away.

Dawn Platinum: Champion of Sinnoh…

12.4: Disappearing Act.

What?

For two years, Dawn had been announced absent from Champion duties, but Barry of the Elite Four said that she was on break, so he would take up her duties. She did came back, severely injured with a broken leg and arm. The public became worried at her injuries upon her return, while others are suspicious of her two-year absence, for some say that she had been in Italy and Japan (specifically Namimori) at the time of her disappearance.

Not helpful… May sighed…

Drew couldn't blame her for being so busy. She was worried, after all, to finish this case, and find her parents. It was important to her. He knew everything about the Smarts Case now. How May was part of it, how everyone was part of it. He sighed. He then looked to his best friend.

"You have a training room here?" Drew asked. "With a padlock?"

Tory was surprised. "Maybe… Mitsumi always had a place where she 'trained.' I've used it. I guess you can go check…" (Mitsumi from Diamond and Pearl Adventures. She apparently is Dawn's childhood friend. Because she wasn't in the Galactic uprisings, she wouldn't be considered the Ultimate Machine she was in the manga. However, she is closely associated with the Berlitz family as a subordinate. Any clues?).

"Thanks." Drew walked back in after Tory described the directions to get to the room. He picked up his narrow bag that seemed to clunk when it hit against his side as he walked.

Karen was contemplating in her room again. Something was still in her mind saying that she had been something else… No… Since when was she Karen? Wait… She's not going mad, was she?

"Ranger… Something about the sky, or rings, or something…" Karen rubbed her temples in frustration. She then glanced at her two twin swords, both in their sheaths. "And those things… How did they get there? When did I use those?"

But then the final barrier that had blocked her from past memories had been beaten down, and everything flowed to her head. It was a big headache. But it felt good. Remembering all the things she had done before this life… She got up immediately and headed to the office.

"It all seems to make sense." May spoke to herself as she kept clicking through all the documents and records. "I should have known this before!"

Apparently, Team Magma and Aqua are after the power of the Red Orb and Blue Orb, but most importantly, the Green Orb. These orbs had connections to the Weather Trio. This made a lot of sense why they would hang around Chimney Top Mountain, but why was she in this mess? Blaziken, sensing her doubt, sat down beside her on the bed.

How about your parents? They could be trying to annihilate your family or something…

May thought for a bit. "I guess… I should check their records again.

May decided to search more on the Red and Blue Orbs, since they were mentioned in Maxie's and Archie's article. She tapped the keys, and pressed Enter.

The Weather Trio is the group of Pokemon that dwell in Hoenn. They are said to be the ones to control the weather in the region, Kyogre being the one to bring rain and floods, Groudon to bring the storms and the sunny days, and lastly, Raquaza, the leader of the trio, to control the sky. Raquaza, in certain legends, is the messenger of Hoenn to Arceus, as Ho-Oh is to Johto. These two messengers were the ones to serve the Sky, Arceus.

…

The Legend of Arceus

The beginning of the universe… Arceus created the universe with its many arms, using the power of the elemental tablets to make every single creature, every single object, and every single particle. With this, it created the Dragon Trio to keep watch over the peace of Sinnoh. It formed the Weather Trio to be the guardians of the tranquility of Hoenn, with Raquaza as the leader and messenger to Arceus. The Three Beasts were the ones to keep Johto safe under Ho-Oh's guidance. The three birds of the Whirl Islands assisted the great Lugia to make sure all was fine.

May was walking down the stairs, hoping to find time to train her Pokemon for the Contest the next day. She had her own key to the training room, which was her favorite place, besides her bedroom. She sighed and took a left to the hallway, where pictures of Tory, Mitsumi, and their father were doing all sorts of things. She continued meandering until she finally found the bamboo-plastered doors of the training room. She could have opened the door earlier, but she heard water rushing from the room. She listened eagerly, hoping to hear that Trainer's voice, but no command came.

"Hm?" May knocked on the door, but no answer came… Just rushing water. Not hesitating to wait any longer, she unlocked the door, and came in.

"May?" Drew's voice came from a swiveling Whirlpool.

"Drew?" May was surprised, as the water came splashing down to the floor, where a Roserade and the green haired Coordinator stood smiling in content. May was expecting him to be training, but why was he wearing that narrow-looking bag?

"Sorry to disturb you…" May blushed, and was walking back, but Drew's hand was already at hers, and she stopped dead. Without turning, she took a deep breath.

"You were wondering about what I said two nights ago, right?" She spoke in a resigned tone.

"Something like that…" Drew's eyes flickered with curiosity.

"Well, I'm just being honest, all right?" May pulled her arm away.

"Okay," Drew grabbed her arm again. "You should at least make that statement worthwhile, if you could read my mind."

May only gave silence. She then turned around with solemn eyes. And she leapt forward to hug Drew. He hugged her back. She stepped back.

"Anything else?" May smiled.

"Hm… something better, perhaps?" Drew took a step closer. May smirked again. Their faces were centimeters apart.

"Guys?" Ruka called out, her teal hair billowing from the pace she was running at. She then stopped dead at the open training room door, but she crept to the side of the door, holding back a giggle. She had found the trainers, but not really in the way she expected.

"Ah… young love," the Signer giggled silently as she turned to leave the embracing couple alone. "No wonder they keep the Training room locked when needed…"

"Yes, Karen?" Archie smiled at the hooded Commander.

"I was wondering…" Karen trailed off. "Why we must get this girl?"

"Hm…" Archie pondered. "I haven't even told my closest subordinate? Let's see… You remember seeing how that girl had flames from her hands, yes?"

A nodded reply.

"Well…" Archie tried to find the right words. "Those flames are rather useful to unlocking the treasure hidden inside the blue, red, and green orbs. Unfortunately, Team Aqua and Maxie have the blue and red orbs… As for us, we have the green orb. Remember?"

The woman nodded.

"Well, that girl's flames can unlock all orbs and their power, but we need not worry about Team Aqua and the other two orbs… As long as we have the Green orb, we are still ahead of them."

"Why?"

"Because… the green orb belongs to Raquaza, the stormiest of all. It is the strongest of the Weather Trio. Even if Team Aqua could control both Kyogre and Groudon, we could still beat them."

"I don't see it that way, though…"

"Well, you'll understand if you know why those orange flames originated from… I'll tell you later."

"Sure."

Karen turned on her heel after saluting and retreated to her room. She was slowly regaining memory ever since the time she had met that brunette trainer… She looked back at the doors of Archie's office, remembering the mention of orange flames. She then continued.

"I didn't need to know later…" She smiled to herself. "I already know where those orange flames come from…"

Her hands were clasped on the hilts of her trusty twin swords that were hidden under her red cloak, but now that she had remembered the terrible memory she had abandoned for more than a decade, she let go of her grasp. She couldn't kill that damn pawn… because it was someone else's job to defeat him and another to rid of the real person behind all this. She could have made this a clean job, but her boss had told her that it was crucial to not interfere in the Trials. Karen… no… not Karen, but Kate Smart, was disappointed that she couldn't use the swords today. At least she remembered her old name. Now she could proceed to reluctantly follow her boss's orders.


	18. Lost Now Found

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 18- Lost Now Found**

"May, hurry up!" Drew shouted from the stairs. "We've got to get going! And you still think that this your week-long rest?"

"Hey!" May stormed down the stairs with her backpack all ready. "I was just taking my time!"

"Well, from what Alex told me, you were in a big rush to finish getting those badges."

"Well, I just wanted to see you!" May suddenly spoke randomly, but she caught him blushing at the answer.

"How did you know I would be here?" Drew asked.

"No, duh," May sweatdropped. "You wouldn't miss a Contest. Well, I beat you in that one, did I?"

"Che," Drew flicked his hair again. "You know why?"

"No."

"Because I already have four ribbons, silly." Drew smirked, causing May to boil again. "I can win the next time. There's still six more opens. You have three."

"What's wrong with you!" May shouted. "You confess to me last week, and then you start insulting me again! What kind of friend are you?!"

"Ha," Drew smiled. "You're cute when you're angry."

May stopped and her flailing hands fell. She walked off to sit down on the sofa.

"I'm sure you know why I had to rush through those Gym Battles." May's back was turned from him, but he could tell that she was dead serious now. "I have this feeling that I need to find the information before the month ends. Otherwise, something terrible will happen.I just know it. After researching at Lund's laboratory and library for the past few days, I think I might know the reason why I was being chased down by Team Aqua and Magma… where my parents could be… why they simply disappeared from the face of the Earth…"

"May…" Drew muttered, his mouth dry from hearing what she was saying. She got up and turned to him. He immediately noticed her eyes now in a new angled form instead of the round innocent ones.

"Let's get going. Everyone's waiting right?" May's eyes were normal again, and she smiled like the way she had done when the two were walking in Petalburg Forest.

"My, we're a big group now!" Max exclaimed. Rua gave a big grin and Ruka giggled. Rafe was smiling, glad to feel the thrill of going through Hoenn once again. Tory and Alex were conversing, filling each other with what they did when they were apart. Drew and May, on the other hand, were standing beside each other hand in hand. He smiled back at her and she smiled back.

Alex ran up to May, her star fragment necklace showing, which May suggested for her to wear before they left.

"You know where to go now?" Alex panted. "Where is the next Contest, May?"

"Leoni Town?" May guessed, and looked at the flyer again. "Yeah. Leoni Town."

"How far is it?" Rafe spoke up from behind.

"A week's walk there, I guess." Drew looked at the map through his PokeNav. May smiled at Drew. He finally told her his true feelings the other night, when she already could tell what he meant. Then she looked at him in surprise. Something was definitely different about him. He seemed to not only be holding a backpack, but also a long narrow bag. May began to wonder what was in that bag.

"Drew?" May asked.

"Hm?" Drew looked up from his PokeNav.

"What's that?" May pointed at the narrow bag.

"Oh, I got that from my dad when I was training with my Pokemon when you left." Drew answered plainly.

"Oh." That was all May could give. She turned away and walked off on her own. Something had changed with him. Would he show her later? It better be soon.

"I'm thirsty," Max groaned.

"Me too…" the fourteen year old twins moaned.

"You used up all the water," Rafe laughed. "We should find a river or something."

"How unlucky for us…" Tory looked through the PokeNav. "This map shows no signs of bodies of water.

"Well," Alex spoke up next to him. "Why can't we just use our Pokemon's water?"

"They're all exhausted, Alex." Rafe explained. "And that water is only for battling and community purposes."

Everyone drooped his or her heads in exhaustion. Then Max looked up, seeing a bobbling sphere of water floating over the hill.

"Water!" Max ran with Rua, who noticed as well.

"Guys!" Alex ran after them. "Wait up!"

"Let's go!" May told the three other boys and Ruka and they nodded and ran as well. As soon as they reached the top of the hill, May gasped at the sight.

"Is this a circus?" Alex asked as the bubbles of water were also carrying Water Pokemon. Then the bubbles cleared to reveal a pair of Physic Pokemon and a blue-haired woman. Alex immediately noticed the woman and began running full speed.

"Liz!" Alex screamed. "It's me! Alex!"

The woman looked at the running girl, and her eyes widened in satisfaction. "Alex! Long time no see! You too, Tory!"

"Eh?" Tory jumped. "Oh, right, Liz."

"Who is this person." Drew asked. "Is she a water Gym Leader or something?"

"Oh, she's Lizabeth Princeton!" Ruka began. "She's part of the Water Dream Circus!"

"Really?" May got interested, and she turned to see Alex talking animatedly with Lizabeth. The Italian Trainer turned to the rest of her friends.

"These people have been traveling with me recently. It's been fun!"

"Oh, is that so?" Lizabeth smiled. "I guess Jackie will be glad to see you again. Jackie! Alex is back!"

"Hm?" A blond haired man in a red T-shirt and Dark blue jeans came walking out of the trailer. Two other people immediately followed him. They seemed to be May's and Drew's age. One was a girl, and the other was a boy. The girl had light blue hair tied into a ponytail. Her sparkling blue eyes gave a welcoming atmosphere. The boy had brown hair that peaked into two little mountains of hair on his head, and he had brown happy eyes. The three of them walked up to Lizabeth, Alex, and the approaching others.

"So, this is Alex five years later. Gamma was surely happy you are a good trainer."

"Yep!" Alex smiled widely, and then noticed the boy and girl. "You two seem to be new."

"Oh, they're with us. They're my godchildren. Liz and I haven't been seeing our children for awhile, so we get lonely."

"Nice to meet you people!" The girl spoke up. "I'm Luna! This guy here is Jaime!"

"Yo." The boy waved, but then he froze solid at Alex when he noticed the half of a topaz star on her necklace. Alex noticed his shocked expression.

"Is something wrong?" May asked.

"Uh… what's that?" Jaime pointed at the pendant. Alex looked down and laughed.

"Oh, this?" Alex showed it out to the light. "It's a necklace my deceased mom gave me."

"Really?" Jaime began to dig into his pockets, and then he pulled something out from his hand. Luna gave a worried look as he revealed what was in his hand. It was the other half of the necklace. Everyone watched the two with wide eyes.

"I have a similar story. Care to tell me your side of the story, sister?"

"That is…" Alex's eyes began to swell with tears. "The other half..." Alex began to stagger from surprise, and the fourteen-year-old girl enveloped her long-lost brother in a tight hug, and she burst into tears.

"Guys…" May looked to everyone… "We should leave them alone…"

Liz then smiled. "Come in with us. We have water, if that's what you want."

They all nodded, and left, but Jackie hesitated. Once he noticed May, he seemed to recognize the girl's eye. Those sapphire eyes reminded her of that certain friend of his… wait… could it be?

"You guys done crying out yet?" Luna smirked at Jaime and the red-faced Alex. Jaime slightly scowled at his friend's untimely smugness.

"We're fine." Alex answered in a resigned voice. And she returned to her conversation with May.

"So you two are Rangers?" May asked.

"Combat Rangers, to be precise," Luna smiled widely. Max, Ruka, and Rua looked at her questioningly.

"What's a Combat Ranger?" Max asked.

"Oh," Luna nervously scratched the back of her head. "Let's me simplify the definition. Combat Rangers... uh... are people who-um... are specially trained with hand-to-hand combat or something?"

"What she meant is," Jackie help clear the meaning. "They are people who don't just fight by capturing Pokemon."

Everyone gave a flat "Oh." But something caught May's eye. It could have been a twinkle. She didn't remember curtains twinkling, right? Her eyes followed up to the bunk on top of the wall. It was covered , but she knew something other than a bed was behind it. She got up and walked over, reaching for the covers, when a hand sprang from beside her and caught her arm. May slowly turned to see Jackie sternly looking at her.

"Come with me." He sternly began, and dragged her into an empty room. Drew noticed what was going on, and he got up and quietly snuck behind the closed the door, pressing his ear to the surface of the wood.

"Huh?" May looked at the blond ex-Ranger.

"Are you May Maple?" Jackie asked.

"No." May shook her head. "It's May Smart."

Jackie gave an understanding look and closed his eyes to think.

"You know of what's happening, correct?"

"Yes." May nodded. "Yet I don't know how they disappeared, or why the syndicates are after me."

"How they disappeared, I can explain, but why Team Magma and Aqua are after you, I can't help you with that. I have not that much knowledge of the Smarts Case. I did believe that Dawn, Kellyn and Isaac were plain mad."

May gave an understanding look. "Please explain."

"I got footage of the cameras I hacked ten years ago…" Jackie explained, pulling a Styler he used a long time ago before he retired. Drew's muscles and ears tensed a little more. "But I was in no position to help. They said they could take care of it themselves…"

"Ha… Ha…" A brown pigtailed woman panted as she was tossed to the floor of the chamber. "You-ha… bastards…"

"Shishishishi…" one of the grunts cackled. "You think we'd let you and your partner stop us? And what's with those two sticks hanging from your side?"

"Huh?" Kate gasped, and started getting up with a struggle, grabbing one of the grunts down by the collar. She looked down at him. "What did you do to him!?"

"Ah…" the grunt struggled at her grasp. "I won't tell you ever."

Kate reached onto the long sheaths by her side and pulled out one of her twin swords.

"Tell me now, bastard…" Kate looked at the man with mad eyes. The grunt look surprised the woman's new weapon that was threatening his life. "Or you'll get this in your neck."

"Uh… He's been captured, too." He gasped. "How did you get that sword?"

"None of your business." Kate flung the man with surprising strength breaking the trap's walls. The woman staggered a bit, and then fell to her knees.

"I can't use it now… Not in front of them…" Kate gasped, and then she got up, but she felt lightheaded. The previous battles were hard and even bloody. The grunts had no mercy, so neither could they. The two of the Rangers had to split up and find the Headquarters individually.

" Kufufufufufu… So… Kate Smart…" a sneering voice came from behind her. "You've gotten even more of an assassin, have you? What happened to bringing justice to the world of Pokemon?"

"Ha… who… are you… Ha… Ha…" Kate struggled to her feet, panting heavily. "What did you do to Keith!?"

"My brother has already taken care of him…" a blond man smiled as he walked into view. "He's one of them now…"

Kate's eyes widened both at who the man was and what he said. "No! You're lying, y-you bastard!"

"Oh, yes…" the man smiled malevolently. "You can see for yourself."

"No!" Kate pulled both of her swords. "I won't see it. Guh!"

She was then struck down by a blast of fire, She hit the opposite wall, her swords flying from her hand.

"Ah…" Kate got up.

"A persistent one, are you?" The man smiled. "Let's see how far you can go until you break…"

"Ha… ha… ha…" Kate looked up, her eyes widening at the sight at what was in front of her. It was the Blue Orb, gleaming horridly at her eyes…

"No… No!"

The video clip crackled and faded.

May watched with eyes that didn't cry, or widened in terror. She looked at it indifferently. She looked down with her eyes shaded by her brown bangs. Jackie watched her actions carefully. She wasn't that emotional, but her fists were shaking and clenched, biting on her thorn wounds.

"What was that?" May asked in a low growling voice. Jackie was surprised. This girl does resemble her mom more.

"What was what?" Jackie didn't understand.

"The strange fire thing that hit my mom," May growled. "It seems to be like the fire that I can make..."

Jackie was rather taken aback from the last statement. What did she mean by making fire? There was something mysterious about May. Like her mother...

"You sure act like your mother." Jackie chuckled, helping her up. "But the swords thing your mother had, what's with that?"

"Don't know." May turned, her eyes normal again. "I'll find out, eventually."

She exited the room, and looked to the side of the door. She smiled.

"I'm glad you overheard that, Drew." May reached out for Drew's shaking hand. "You okay?"

"Actually, are you okay?" Drew wiped the sweat from his hands. His own thorn cuts were stinging.

"I'm fine." May smiled. "Let's get some fresh air, all right?"

Jackie emerged from the room. "How about everyone? Jaime was sure having a hard time without Alex."

"S21, do you copy?"

The Aqua grunt of the Phantom squad snickered as he watched the residents of the trailer exit from the door. "I hear ya. What is it?"

"They've left. Get in and take it already. Those Rangers won't know. And try to get that brown haired girl with the bandanna, too. It's better to get two ways of getting that thing."

"Yeah, whatever."

May watched the water Pokemon display, but then she looked at the trailer, noticing a shadow in the window. Hm? Wasn't everyone outside? May eyed all her friends, and everyone was outside. She got up and began to climb the stairs.

"May, where are you going?" Drew called to her.

"I need to go get some more water." May smiled nervously. "Don't worry about me."

"Okay." Drew grinned back, but he kept a good watch on her.

"Haha!" S21 smiled to himself. "It was this easy?"

The door immediately opened, and May was clambering in. She looked at the bunk, immediately noticing the grunt and what he was holding. A black cylindrical container…

"Huh?" May looked with wide eyes, but then she looked at him with serious eyes. "You know that I don't give things away freely…"

"Eek!" S21 laughed. "Let's get battling then! Beedrill!"

"Blaziken!" May took out her trusty partner's Pokeball, but then the ball wouldn't open.

"Damn…" May muttered under her breath. She then jumped onto a wall and pushed off, grabbing the container from the grunts hands. She was back at the doorway, ready for a quick escape.

"Ha! You fell for it!" S21 laughed. "I'll take you to the Phantom in no time! Dead or Alive!"

"Huh?" May looked up with surprise, only to be hit in the stomach by the bee Pokemon's horned hands.

Drew watched the trailer intently. Something was going on. He got up to get in, but the time was too late. A big boom ensued as the wall of the trailer burst open with May flying out like a rag doll.

"May!" Drew screamed as she hit a cliff. He ran to her motionless body. Jackie and Lizabeth stared in shock. Jaime and Luna were on the move to the trailer, but a single Drill Shot blew them back.

"May!" Drew tried to touch her, but her hand surprising caught his wrist. Drew gasped as the girl struggled to get up, her eyes now in the angled no-business form.

"Move aside." May turned him calmly. "I'll take care of this."

"O-okay…" Drew was surprised at May's eyes, and what was on her hands? They were orange flames. "May?"

But he was pushed back. She was gone. Drew sprawled from the ground looked in all directions until he looked up upon hearing the sound of what could have a jet or something. He saw her flying at full speed at the Beedrill, with the container in one hand. Since when could May... fly? He then hesitated and ran back to the trailer. He heard a cackling voice.

"Ha!" The emerging Aqua Grunt climbed out of the smoke. "We know what you can do! So give it up!"

"Hm?" May's eyes widened a bit, and she was blown back again into the wall. She clutched the container harder, panting.

"You think that we would not gather information on you?" S21 laughed. "Bye bye!"

Alex, who couldn't help May, screamed in terror. Lizabeth and Ruka were only gaping at the battle. They could not believe that grunts would go this far to get this special container.

"May!" Alex screamed. May looked up, but she couldn't dodge the shower of speeding horns thrown at her. May closed her eyes, waiting for the pain. But it never came.

Clang! Whoosh! Clatter!

"May!" Max screamed.

"Huh?" Jaime pointed out, noticing that several pieces of the horns have been sliced cleanly and were lying before the smoke. Everyone saw it, awed by such skilled handiwork.

"What the-" the grunt looked in surprise. The smoke was clearing, and May and the container was still there intact. She was slightly shaken, but she looked relieved when a figure in front of her smiled back at her. She couldn't help but smile back, although she was still shocked at who was holding the sword. Did she even know this person? A silver blade of a gleaming katana shone from the fading smoke.

"Shigure Soen Ryu, Defensive Form 7," the figure announced, smirking. "Blowing Rain."


	19. A Sky's Key

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 19- A Sky's Key**

"May, you okay?" the voice in the cloud called to her. May opened her eyes, noticing who was in front of her. She herself couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"D-D-Drew?" She stuttered. Most of her energy had been lost during the last hit, so she could barely stand. Instead she clutched the black container quickly. And there he was, standing in front of her with his sword drawn backwards on his right hand. He was half crouching, and his eyes narrowed in focus.

"Who- who are you?!" S21 gasped. "You can't be a Combat Ranger, are you?"

"No…" Drew dismissively sighed and spun the handle of his sword so the blade pointed forward again. "I don't need to tell you who I am anyways."

He bent low again, his arm, turned the sword blade pointing back again, and the he placed his left hand over the hold, not touching it, and was charging at the grunt, his hair shading his eyes. May panted, not noticing that someone was hovering down behind her.

"Shigure Soen Ryu," Drew recited. "Form 8, Autumn Rain!"

"Huh?" Before S21 could speak, he was blown back into the air, and he hit the wall. Jackie and Jaime, who were speechless at the two Trainer's actions, rushed to the scene. Jaime gruffly picked the grunt up by the collar of the neck and held his face a foot from his.

"Why are you here?" Jaime asked roughly. "You better have a reason."

Drew landed down with ease. Then a sudden yell came from behind him. Alex, Luna, and Ruka turned to see that May was gone. Drew stared at the empty rock for minutes. Where was she?

"You're as hard-headed as they say, May Smart." A low voice came from above. Jackie looked up, not believing what he saw.

"Phantom!" Jackie was intensely burning. "You came back here again!?"

"Well, look at what I'm holding…" the Sea Phantom cackled playfully tossing the container back and forth. "Let's see what's inside, shall we?"

"I can't let you do that." A growling voice came from behind him. The Phantom turned to see that May was hovering in the air, charging at him for a fight. The pirate laughed, and aimed his steel-bound arm at her. Everyone gaped at the sight. It had changed into a gun. May's expression wasn't surprised at all.

"Die, you pest." The Phantom growled. "You may hold the key to unlocking the power within the Weather Orbs, but you are too annoying. Good-bye."

"May!" Everyone at the ground yelled.

A shower of bullets was going to hit the girl, but she stayed calm, and within seconds the bullets were stopped and melted by an orange sphere that enveloped May. Everyone felt a pang of relief, but they couldn't rest yet. The Phantom was still in possession of the container.

"I guess I should say that to you." May calmly stated as she charged again, punching the Phantom hard in the stomach. The old man grunted in pain, and furiously roared as the container slipped from his hands and was sent accelerating to the ground. Alex shouted, pointing to it, and May was speeding down to the ground with enough time to catch the container and break her fall with the orange flames she produced. She stepped to the floor softly. Lizabeth, Jaime, Luna, and Jackie were hurriedly ushering the others into their trailer, while the Phantom was still recovering.

Drew put away his katana into his cloth sheath. May saw the sword now. She wanted to ask more, but a strong hand made a grab at the container. She immediately lunged forward, but her hands slipped, and the container was flying in another direction. May immediately got up, kicking the Phantom in the chin during the process, and jumped for the container. She caught it, and she turned to the side so she would hit the ground on her back, keeping the egg intact.

Her back screaming in pain, she slowly got up, and then saw Phantom's shocked and annoyed face again. Unexpectedly, he panted and fell to his knees due to his failing mechanisms. May could only stare. She could tell that this person would go long distances to get a job done, even if it meant surpassing his limits… But then she felt a sharp tug on her shoulders, and the girl was literally dragged into the trailer, yet what was surprising her the most was that the trailer's walls didn't even seem to be broken at all. The big vehicle pulled away quickly leaving the avaricious Phantom to contact his rescue team.

The trailer shook over a little boulder it ran over, causing uneasiness to everyone inside.

"You sure made a pretty good show out there," Lizabeth chuckled as she wrapped gauze over May's cut. May nodded and then turned to a worried Drew.

"Drew?" She began.

"Yeah?" The emerald haired boy answered back.

"What was that sword?" May asked. "I've never seen you use one before."

"Well, May…" Drew hesitated, hoping to find a reasonable explanation. "I was learning uh… sword fighting with my dad when I was training… okay? I can't tell you the whole story now. You need to rest."

May was about to argue back, but Alex held a hand in front of her.

"Just rest, please." Alex sighed, and May leaned back on the bed, and fell asleep. Then the others were rather worried. Max was rather worried himself about his former sister. Then he noticed something he was too worried to think about it.

"Hey! How did the trailer fix itself!?" He pointed out. Ruka, Rua, and Rafe were first to react. Tory only looked up. Lizabeth then laughed.

"It's the special thing about our trailer. Every since this event when I met Jackie, I guess we had to take extra precautions."

Everyone was puzzled. Drew only remained grim as he looked on at May. Jackie was still driving.

"Hey!" He called to those behind him. "What city were you going to go to?"

"Leoni Town!" Alex shouted back, and the ex-Ranger nodded and continued driving. Jaime and Luna were off to make a report to Isaac and Kellyn.

"Karen?" Archie asked. Kate looked up, trying her best to hide her eyes. It would be bad to let the guy notice she wasn't under the stupid control of that maniac anymore.

"Yes?" She reluctantly answered calmly.

"I would like you to take a break." Archie's lips curved into a smile. "You've been good throughout this year. I guess you should relax some time soon."

Inwardly, Kate was rather ecstatic about it, but she kept her posture.

"Thank you." Kate nodded and left. Now all she had to do was intercept the people her boss mentioned in Leoni Town. Setting up the Trials was almost complete.

The trip lasted another hour, probably because Jackie was technically speeding, otherwise they would take the rest of the day to get there. May was still asleep, and Drew was still at her bedside, clutching the hilt of his katana that was protruding from its bag. Alex and Jaime were currently killing time by talking about the other's life, with Tory occasionally sticking things in. Rafe, Ruka, and Rua were at the front with Jackie. Lizabeth and Luna were currently cooking in the kitchen (wow… such a big trailer, huh).

"You guys chose the convenient place for me to stop by," Jackie noted. "Leoni Town was going to be my destination as well. I needed to deliver a special package to Gary Oak there."

"You mean whatever's in that Container? The special package?" Rua asked. Rafe then remembered.

"Wait. What's so important about the container anyway?" Jackie looked at the brown haired boy and gave a fake smile.

"Do you know the Legend of the Sea Prince?" Jackie began and received a flurry of shaking heads. "Well, then, let's get started. We have another hour, so I'll go Auto-Pilot then."

The Rapidash came to a complete halt, allowing its rider to dismount. The rider's blue eyes scanned the overview of the valley that contained the peaceful Leoni Town. She brushed her slightly overgrown bangs so she could see the whole picture.

"Should get a haircut when I get down there…" Kate grumbled. She lifted her cape away, revealing her new outfit. It wasn't really new, but because she had never worn it for a long time, it could be considered so. More or less, it was her Ranger's uniform.

Adjusting her belt, she was slightly surprised by the cleanliness of her old clothing.

"It's going to take a while getting used to this…" Kate picked up her backpack and swords. She began her descent down the cliffs.

"So the Sea Crown is that valuable?" Ruka commented when Jackie finished. Rua and Rafe were still baffled. The explanation Alex added in about May's encounters with Team Aqua and Magma were also included.

"What has that to do with the Phantom?" Rua asked.

"The Sea Phantom…" Jackie started another explanation. "Is the leader of a squad from Team Aqua. As you can see from May's research, those two syndicates are after the so-called 'power' hidden in the Blue, Red, and Green Orbs. You remember?"

He received several nods.

"The Green Orb is said to possess the strongest connection to the Raquaza, and maybe Arceus. This power is something well… I believe I was told it had something to do with the power of the sky… Well, I believe that the Sea Crown has some ability, more of a key, to opening that 'power.'"

"Huh?" Rua jumped. "A key? Now I've got to know what that 'power' is."

"That I can't tell you, for I do not know." Jackie sighed again, focusing on the road (man, he's a multi-tasker). "But now after that event with Phantom earlier, I don't think Team Aqua or Magma would be after the Manaphy egg at all."

Ruka and Rua were quite surprised.

"Why do you say that?" Ruka asked politely, in contrast to her brother's behavior.

"They have found a new target, you see?" Jackie made a hand gesture to emphasize his point. "And that new target is May."

"How is that possible?" Rafe asked.

"You've seen those flames she can make." Jackie answered. "That is a stronger catalyst that the Sea Crown."

There was silence, until Rua gave a tired yawn.

"You know." Rua spoke up in the middle of yawning. "It's kinda weird, you know? That May can make fire. She's like some human matchbox."

"Well…" Rafe commented darkly. "I don't think that the fire May can produce is any normal flame. I remember something when I was still traveling places as a prospective Trainer."

All heads turned to him.

"In Sinnoh, I visited Canalave City, where I was defeated by Gym Leader Bryon on my first try. So I decided to train harder, taking a ferry to Iron Island. I met this guy who lived on the Island with his family. Riley, I believe? He was partners with a Lucario, I recall."

Everyone on the front was focused.

"He offered to help me train harder for my rematch, and obviously, I accepted. We trained for a week or so."

"How does that have anything to do with this?" Rua asked impatiently. Ruka then cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Let him continue." Rafe nodded kindly at Ruka's patience, and went on.

"Well, on one of the days we were training, I asked him about aura, since his Lucario had mastered one of the moves Aura Sphere. His definition was rather rough, though. Aura is a form of spiritual energy usually determined by a person's resolution. The difference between just normal energy and aura was if one could actually notice, aura emits a sense of power. Maybe even able to show that Aura-user's resolution.

"He didn't explain more to me, so once I got back, I checked the Canalave Library, where I personally met Dawn Platinum (smirks). She was rather weird though."

"In what sense?" Jackie asked. Many people said that Dawn and her circle of friends were mysterious. Not like that was uncommon at all. Who would not say that she was strange if she was supposedly missing for two years when she was actually in Italy?

"She could read my mind, or something. Because once I saw her, she then asked me if I was searching on aura. I said yes, and then she suddenly handed me a book, as if she had counted on me coming there. I read the book, getting the almost same information Riley told me, so I gave up on the search temporarily and went to my rematch."

"Temporarily?" Jackie was stunned.

"I did take a look back on it again." Rafe added. "Still couldn't find anything. But now that May's research has been added. I think I can understand it more now."

"Rafe's a really persistent person, once you get to know him." Ruka commented.

"Wow." Jackie was on the road again. "So… what do you mean that May's fire isn't really normal fire?"

Rafe thought for a moment, and took a deep breath. "If you were more aware of sensing power back at that time, you could have known that May's flame was emitting power like aura, but for some reason, I don't understand how aura can be orange. It couldn't be this powerful either, unless she has a very extreme resolve, which is impossible."

"Resolve, huh?" A voice rang out from behind the four, and they spun to see May awake and well again, surprisingly with no bandages. She was leaning on the side of the archway, her arms crossed.

"How long have you been there?" Rua asked exasperatedly.

"The whole time." Drew emerged from the shadows, smirking.

"It's good that you listened." Jackie sighed, and then he noticed something on the radar. "Leoni Town in five minutes. There are trees, see?"

Kate wandered about the town, trying to find a certain house. She then noticed how much Leoni Town had changed over ten years. Instead of traditional Street markers, digital markers were displaying the names. The Pokemon Center, though she did not enter it, was upgraded drastically. Now Trainers could heal their Pokemon themselves. The Nurse Joys only needed to take care of the Pokemon who were extremely injured. She smiled to herself. Getting somewhere, was she?

She then halted to a stop, noticing a rather significantly big house. She stepped through the iron gates, noting that the residents didn't feel like modernizing their surroundings after hearing the screws squeak. She ambled down the pebbled path, and stopped at the classic "Home Sweet Home" rug. She hesitated wondering what the person living in the house would say should the door open. She pressed the doorbell while tightening her grip on her swords not because she sensed a murderous intent, but because she was merely nervous.

Her heart pounded as a shuffle of footsteps could be heard, and a woman immediately flung the door open. She had bright orange hair tied in two pigtails, and she wore a blue and purple jacket and a pink skirt. She didn't even change her style one bit, Kate noted to herself.

"K…Kate?" The woman's eyes widened in shock, or possibly horror.

"Yeah. It's the real deal, Rui." Kate weakly grinned. "Get Wes for me, will you?"

"Yeah…" Rui nodded, and she was rushing off to the kitchen, shouting incoherent things. Her husband, who had probably actually understood what was going on, was rushing to the front door to see his old friend. He smirked.

"You figured?" He commented. Kate nodded.

"Just keep me at a low profile for now. I don't want to call attention on this mission."

"Yeah…" Wes grinned. "Especially since you 'died,' and 'magically came back to life again' to the public."

"Something like that, but I can't just say that I work underground, should I?" Kate got in, and walked up that stairs to the guest room.

"Wow." Wes chuckled. "You remember things easily."

"Yeah… I'm a fast learner." Kate smiled.

"Gary will be soo happy to see you."


	20. Training Commence!

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

 **Chapter 20- Training Commence!**

The trailer finally hauled to a stop. Several figures emerged and clambered out onto the paved streets of the silent Leoni Town at midnight. Jackie, Luna, and Jaime were watching warily for any suspicious people looking at them. May, Drew and Alex, followed by Rua, Ruka, and Rafe walked to the side of the street, awed by the expanse of the town.

"So this is where the Contest is?" Drew muttered. Everyone was rather surprised. Jackie then pointed at the house.

"Hurry up." He was rather crabby from driving for two straight hours. "I've got a place here where we can stay."

They turned their heads towards a rather large house, probably one of the largest in Leoni, if one would ask. It had been slightly old, seeming that it had been built ten years ago. Its whitewashed walls were in contrast to the black shingles on the unharmed roof. Rosebushes lined the flower patches in the yard, complete with an iron gate and a brick wall to enclose the surroundings. Jackie opened the gate with ease, causing everyone to wonder why the owners never kept locked it, yet they followed suit.

The massive amount of footsteps probably alarmed the residents of the house, who were heard shuffling down the stairs to immediately open the door.

"Oh dear!" The woman shouted. "We've been having visitors lately!"

"Jackie, Rafe, is that you?" the man beside her looked slightly surprised at the others. "Please! Come on in!"

"Thanks, Wes. At least you have some courtesy." Jackie received a smirk in exchange. May curiously looked about, noticing a coat rack and a picture of the two owners and their child, a brown haired girl with brown pigtails and amber eyes.

"Hey, Wes." Rafe noted. "Who's the new visitor?"

"Oh, he," Wes smiled. "You'd never believe who. She's pretty new…"

"Who?" May got next to him.

"The kitchen." Wes motioned for Rafe and Jackie to come, but May and Drew followed anyways. They entered to the kitchen and were awed by such artwork displayed on the walls. There were paintings of glorious battles that had taken place in the Coliseum battles. The rest of the kitchen was nothing important, unless one could count who was sitting at the counter.

"Who said I was new?" The woman said. "I've been here loads of times…"

"Kuh-" Jackie was at a loss for words. May and Drew were the exact same.

The woman was in her twenties. Her brown hair was tied into two pigtails in which her hair sticked out in all directions. Her blue sapphire eyes had shown that she had been through many troubles, but were seemingly happy to see the people before her. She wore a crimson red cloak over herself, to keep herself warm for the night.

"Hm?" She looked over at May and Drew. "You must be?"

"M…" May couldn't speak. The woman smiled back warmly. She wasn't even surprised that she knew this girl.

"Of course, May," She got up from her seat at the counter. "It's the real deal."

She held out her hand to the Trainer. May hesitantly reached out, and ignoring Drew's mental warnings, she grasped the woman's hands. Wes wasn't so sure what he was seeing. Since when did Kate know this girl?

"Mom?" May asked weakly, still shocked at what she was seeing.

"Yes." Kate nodded, and May collapsed into her lost now found mother's arms, probably about to cry her heart out. Drew was rather doubtful that this was the real Kate, but Kate immediately shot a look sudden look at him, noticing the bag that carried his sword.

Kate had been able to see through people's emotions and feelings, and possibly memories. She could even tell what was behind others and what items can be hidden. That was what she was trained to do as a Combat Ranger. Well, more of a Mafiosi, if her boss described her.

"Hm?" Part of her thought leaked out. In that bag is a sword… Who is this boy?

May broke away, seconds before her legs fell weak, and she fainted on the floor. Drew was the first to react and catch the falling girl, surprising Kate herself. This boy… seems protective of her…he could be what the boss had once told her about.

"May." Rafe sharply shouted. "Is she okay?"

Everyone who had heard him rushed into the kitchen, seeing that May was unconscious in Drew's arms.

"May! You okay?"

"What happened to her?"

"She'll be fine." Kate suggested, pointing to herself. "I'd be shocked, too, if this happened to me."

"Oh… my… god…" The newcomers gasped. "Is… that…"

Kate smiled weakly.

"It's past bedtime," She commented. "You should have rest."

Obediently, they all nodded and left, with Drew and May, and were probably crowding the many spare rooms. The returned traveler and the ex-Ranger were left alone, unless one could count Rafe, whom Kate suggested to stay.

"You… are…" Rafe was still in shock.

"Yes, Kate Smart," She smiled back. "I hope you can get the name correctly soon without stuttering a lot."

A silence ensued amongst the three of them.

"So Isaac was correct…" Jackie looked at Kate. "You were alive this whole time. For eleven years you were alive all along."

"Yes," Kate agreed. "His sources never fail him. And Kellyn must be really persistent. Boss wouldn't be too happy if I died on her."

"Boss?" Rafe asked inquisitively. "What do you mean by 'boss?'"

"Oh, dear." Kate cut him short. "I haven't gotten to that part of the story, have I? Well, before I begin, remind me about training. Those kids… They need training… lots of it… Now. To begin my story, let me summarize the beginning. Surely you remember the story of Arceus, do you?"

Ever since the beginning of man, amongst each generation of people were the Gifted of the Sky. These Gifted were ones who were bestowed the power of Arceus, the creator of the universe. These Gifted are granted supernatural abilities, as you two can see from May for the past few days.

Yet the Gifted are given the duty to keep peace in all Pokemon Regions, but they can't do it alone. Under them are their allies, the Peace of the Rain, the Charge of Thunder, the Fury of the Storm, the Curiosity of the Mist, the Joy of the Sun, and the Ingenuity of the Cloud. All these elements keep the other in balance, for one misstep can bring chaos to the world. It is the Gifted to make sure that its allies remain in peace and each contribute to the advancement of society.

However, this system of the Gifted has gone underground. Not many know the story, or how it came to be. What keeps the story alive is the proof. The symbol of the Sky and its allies is the proof.

But right now, there are two groups existing to be able to obtain that proof, and we must not let that proof fall into the wrong hands.

And there is more to that…

"So where have you been all this time?" Jackie asked. Kate looked up to recall something.

"I was carrying my other job for eight years. It was some requirement, so that was why I was gone for two years... the other two years was an infiltration plan..."

Kate continued the rest of her story, which was rather surprising to the two of her listeners.

"You can't be serious, Kate…" Both Jackie and Rafe were baffled by the explanation, Jackie being the one with the most concern.

"They're only kids, Kate!" Jackie pointed at Rafe especially. "You can't let them do such a thing! This is something you and the others should do!"

Kate looked away solemnly.

"I've objected to the plan the first time, too. Most of us did. But the boss wouldn't budge. She said, 'The decision is final.' And you know very well who the bastard behind this is…"

"But-" Jackie was cut off by Kate's quick hand gesture.

"But it must be done, Jackie. Kincaid must be stopped any other way. Even if it means putting our children's life in the midst of this battle."

Rafe was still shocked himself. This information he received… the final piece of this messy puzzle… was this bad? He couldn't believe it himself. He could tell Kate was not pleased with the idea of pitting teenagers like him with Team Magma and Aqua, but she could be tranquil at times like these.

"Rafe?" Kate's back was turned on him.

"Y…yes?" Rafe asked.

"Your research has been complete, has it?" She asked randomly, but to Rafe, she had immediately read his mind. He nodded shakily.

"You should get some rest as well." Kate got back on her seat beside the counter. "It's five hours till daybreak. It's better if you make the best out of those hours to sleep."

"Y-yes…" Rafe nervously bowed, and he immediately left the room. If he had not noticed correctly as he went up the stairs, he was sure he had seen Rua and Ruka's eyes watching from the stairs above.

"Ugh…" May stirred from sleep in a rather cozy bed. She turned about until she thought she hit something. She jumped up, knowing that it was a body. Now that was a way to start the morning.

"Gah!" A sound came from the body. "May… you're so tough…"

May was almost in a befitting rage. "Drew! Why are you in the bed with me!?"

"We didn't have room anywhere else…" Drew reasoned innocently. May angrily turned and left for the bathroom.

"You didn't doing anything, right?" May looked suspiciously at the emerald-haired boy.

"Nope. Not at all."

Breakfast was crowded, of course. Ten people in the living room would be considered crowded. Kate patiently waited, while keeping some distance from her daughter. Accepting facts was not really easy for eleven-year olds. Rui immediately got up, announcing she had to go shopping for groceries, while Wes had to get to work. Jackie and Lizabeth were off to do their own work, leaving the kids with Kate. Kate smiled to herself; I've trained more than this.

"You guys," She began, causing everyone to look at her. "You are having training today. You might not know, but a battle is coming, and I must prepare you for it."

She got up from the table, where there was several packages. May gasped.

"Aren't those the packages I gave to Dr. Lund at LaRousse?"

"Oh?" Kate noticed. "You sent them? How nice."

"Thank you…" May was still nervous around her mother.

"Well, some of these packages are supposed to be given to you." Kate picked one up, reading the labels. "Hm…"

She looked at the crowd. "Drew Hayden?"

"Yes…" Drew steadily got up, thinking it was the right thing to do.

"Take this." Kate handed him two things she procured from the package. They were a blue velvet ring box and a box of the same size, just that it was made of steel. The second box had no opening, but a circular dent in the middle. The metal was tinted blue with patterns of the ocean carved on the box. Drew admired the items, but Kate motioned him to move aside before he could look closely at it.

"Alex Cesarini?" Kate asked, holding the Italian Trainer's velvet bag. Alex hurriedly came over, and took the bag, finding that they contained the same items as Drew's, just that her steel box was tinted yellow with the sun engraved on each side.

"Jaime Cesarini? Hm? Are you Alex's brother?" Kate noted, giving the approaching boy a red steel box with a tornado carving along with yet another blue velvet box.

"Yep!" Jaime answered Kate's question and walked over to his sister.

"Ruka… Ruka?" Kate looked at the girl's eyes. "My! It's been ages since I last saw you!"

"Same here, Kate…" Ruka got up to receive an indigo steel box and a blue velvet ring box. Rua immediately jumped.

"What about me!?" He yelled. Kate chuckled.

"I don't have anything for you, sorry, you might have to share with Ruka," She gave an apologetic smile. "Well, on with… Rafe Peterson?"

"Here…" He shakily got up. He was still pale from what Kate had told him, and he cautiously took the purple steel box and ring box.

"It won't bite, Rafe." Rua teased, but Rafe shot him an icy stare, his shaking suddenly stopping. Then Kate called Tory to take a green box with lightning on it. And finally Kate took the package May recognized to be the first package she had received. The seal was opened, and May walked over, knowing that these items were hers. Kate looked up.

"Oh, your intuition is very good…" Kate smiled. "These are for you."

May took the items to be just like the others with the velvet box, but her steel box was orange, and yet slightly more decorated with a wheel divided into six parts, each with a different symbol on it.

"Those who didn't get anything from me," Kate solemnly explained. "Will have to train by themselves, I'm afraid. I can only train those who have received those boxes."

"So what are these for?" May asked as she fumbled with the orange box in her hands. The ring box she pocketed for later. Kate was in front of the seven people, with Rua, so that makes eight.

"I'll explain. Just open your ring boxes first."

The teens did so, and they found, of course, a ring, but each ring was different from the other.

Drew's ring, was a tiny blue gem embedded in a rather thick ring. The silver ring was rather authentic, for the carvings of bluebells on the ring were seemingly fine and detailed.

Alex's ring was a yellow gem with sunflowers as the engravings on the ring. The holder herself was rather delighted at the fact that the rings had such beauty.

Ruka's ring had an indigo gem surrounded with silvery carvings of orchids that were so detailed, Ruka had to gape at the handiwork before speaking another word. Rua was rather excited that he himself found a twin ring in Ruka's box, and he happily tried it on.

Jaime's ring was red-gemmed with poppies lining the ring. The Ranger could only stare… This wasn't a wedding ring, was it? No. It wasn't.

Rafe's ring held a purple gem and was engraved with morning glories. Rafe smirked at the gleaming object as it reflected in the sun that came from the window they passed in the hall.

Tory's ring was a green gem that had the carvings of ivy drawn all over the ring. Tory stopped dead in his tracks to take a closer look around.

Finally May's ring was an orange gem, but this gem was larger than any of the others, and fancier engravings surrounded it with roses and an occasional dove. May's sapphire eyes widened at such beautiful work. She mindlessly played around with it in her hands, letting it roll on the palms of her hands. Kate was rather surprised at how May was beginning to get fascinated with.

"You like it?" Kate asked. "Funny thing is, my friends and I had the same reaction when we saw those."

"Wait… you mean…" May looked up. "You used to own these rings?"

"Not really…" Kate scratched the back of her head. "But if you think about it, yeah, I used to be in possession of those rings. Just the blue one, which Drew has…"

Drew smirked back. So this belonged to Kate, huh.

"But…" May's happy face was serious. "I remember something now. You were using swords before you disappeared in this video with this weird blonde man. Why do you use swords?"

Kate stopped. She turned back at them, their eyes trailing from her face to the twin swords that were dangling from the belt at the Ranger's side. Kate paused, thinking of an answer…

"Same reason as you guys," Kate answered. "What do you do if your friends are in danger, and your Pokemon can't be reached? You protect with your own hands."

Everyone was silent, but they agreed. Kate nodded at their response and she led them into a vast room with no windows, but there were lots of electrical lighting. If one could think, this room was probably underground, for it was too big. That would explain the elevator they had to take.

"Now…" Kate began. "Those rings you received are very special ones, okay?"

The group nodded understandingly.

"Those rings are the keys to opening your metal boxes. But you don't know how to open them yet, nor do you have the ability to. Because, you must receive a Seal to do so."

May gasped slightly. A Seal?

"Yes," Kate answered their doubts. "It's a mark that signifies that you can open it, but it can't be done immediately. The battle to come is the key to your training, well, kinda. Your opponents, Team Magma and Aqua, are in possession of the Red, Blue, and Green Orbs. You must defeat them before obtaining the Seals. Understood?"

Jaime gave an immediate "Yes!" He was much to familiar with missions. Kate looked at her daughter and friends. They meekly nodded.

"Well, then, let's begin." Kate flung her cape away, revealing a full view of her Ranger uniform and swords. "You will be individually trained by someone you might know later on, but at the moment, I will train you all. Let's get started. First concern is May."

May slipped her ring on the middle finger of her right hand absentmindedly while approaching her mother.

"I have heard about your time using orange flames to fight," Kate began, "But your flaming fists are not strong enough to handle millions of grunts at once. So…"

Kate looked for a solution. "I will give you these to train with."

May gasped. So did everyone else. Kate handed her the twin swords she had been carrying the whole time.

"Mom… Why are you…" May was almost speechless. Drew smirked.

"You are my daughter, of course," Kate smiled. "These should be given down to you… Keith needs your help, and this is the solution."

"No… but…" May had nearly forgotten her question. "How do I learn to use these?"

Kate laughed. "That's why I'm here to train you! So for those swords… can I have my Styler back please?"

"Yeah, soon after this is done." May smiled back. Kate grinned, and then turned to Drew.

"You seem to be fine with that sword of yours, but it might need some more tuning. I'll help you with that."

Drew nodded, and Kate moved on to Alex.

"Alex, you will work with Jaime. He will teach more hand-to-hand combat training for you. Always trust the Combat Rangers, okay?"

"Okay!" Alex energetically walked to her younger brother, who was happy himself.

"Jaime!" Kate called. "Just remember to work on using your arsenal!"

"Gotcha!" Jaime waved a hand to show that he had heard Kate before walking to a corner with his sister to commence training.

"As for you two…" Kate looked at Ruka and Rua. "You've been with me before, haven't you?"

The twins nodded.

"You should work on your Pokemon battle skills. Your dueling abilities are already above average. And Rafe?"

"Hm?" The purple ring-bearing boy looked at her.

"You know how to use a nunchuck?" Kate suddenly pulled the mentioned weapon out of nowhere.

"A… that?" Rafe pointed nervously at the object… "Um… maybe… my skill might be a bit rough, since it's been ages since I've used it before…"

"Okay, then," Kate tossed the weapon to him, and he caught perfectly. "Train. And Mitsumi sent you this staff this morning. Hope you like it, Tory."

"The staff? Thanks, Kate!" Tory grasped the silver pole, and ran off, not noticing that green electrical sparks were coming from the top end where it was bent to look like a lightning bolt.

"Mom…" May asked Kate. "We're actually learning to fight ourselves?"

"Trust me, May," Kate gave a weak smile. "It will help you in the future."

Rafe was still walking to a side of the room. They don't what they're getting themselves in… I should tell them… but now's not the time…

Kate was smiling at the progress of the first few minutes, but May interrupted her thoughts.

"Mom, why did I get these flame powers if I'm not related to Dawn?"

Kate's face paled slightly, and she turned to May…

"Well…" She was to begin her story.


	21. Past and Present

Secret of the Earth and Sky! Chapter 21- Past and Present

/Kate! Do you copy?/

"Yeah, I hear you," Kate spoke through her comlink while running through the halls of Team Rocket Headquarters, taking down a grunt with a big fist in the face, and defeating another with a blow on the back with one of he swords, blunt side up, of course. She didn't want to deal with blood that day.

/I found that entrance to the final room, but I can't get in. Hurry up, will you?/

Kate chuckled. "Keith, you have explosive knives. Ever thought of using them?"

/I did! I really did use my explosives, but nothing in my arsenal works! None of the Pokemon I could capture could open the thing! We only have five minutes to find out what the leader of Team Rocket is up to!/

"Where's boss?" Kate asked, dodging a bullet, and taking down a grunt who did the failed attempt to shoot her.

/She's stayed behind to defend for me with the others./

"Is she crazy!?" Kate screamed on the comlink. "I can't just teleport there. I'm only halfway! Unless…."

Kate looked at the wall that obstructed her view, and she held her swords at a position to charge. Her ring started emitting blue flames that was spreading on her Styler and her swords, covering both weapons in blue flames that seemed have the texture of water.

"Here I go!" Kate spoke to herself, and she charged at the wall. She broke it, and then found herself surrounded by many fallen grunts.

"I guess you did your job here, heh." She chuckled, and she continued running. She took a sharp turn, seeing her husband struggle at opening a Steel pair of doors. The redhead looked up, noticing that his savior had come.

"About time you came. Three more minutes."

"Out of the way!" Kate yelled, position her swords to charge with blue flames again, and she burst open the door with such force, the person inside was rather shocked at who could break down the door he padlocked and reinforced so well. Kate didn't even wince.

"You bastard…" She growled, with Keith following along. A caped man with black sunglasses approached the two.

"Fufufufu… Always paired with the other, it seems, does it, Kate?" The man lifted his hood to reveal nasty blond hair that was hairsprayed to ugly perfection.

"No more digressions, Kincaid," Kate angrily held her swords up in protection, while Keith took his stash of knives to prepare for an assault as well. "Tell us where you put May…"

"Oh, little May-kun?" Kincaid snickered. "As the boss of Team Rocket I should know where I put my experiments?"

"Ex… periments?" Keith quivered. "What did you-"

"Oh, nothing, really," Kincaid chuckled. "Wait until you should see that I've gain the ultimate power!"

"Idiot." Kate's voice was low and menacing. "You tried to kill Mewtwo, so what the hell did you do to my daughter!"

"See for yourself!" Kincaid took a remote and clicked open a container, but once the lights turned on to reveal a large cylinder of water, Keith had decided that it would be the first to blow up.

Expertly, He threw a knife that spun like a bulleting football at the tank, and upon contact, the container exploded, and water came gushing out, along with a young girl with brown hair. She was only two, and her hair had grown to her shoulders already. Her body was limp, not feeling pain for distress when she heard her parents running at her. She could hear a distant cackling. Her groggy eyes were slowly opening, with a blurred vision of what was going on. Her mother was standing in front of her, her head turned to the man that tried to hurt her.

"You… bastard…" Kate panted angrily, cradling the little girl. "You alone… you alone… I'll never regret killing!"

"What do you mean by that?" Kincaid laughed, but Keith's daggers were at the criminal's neck.

"You've already seen what my knives can do." He smirked. "Now… TALK!"

"Okay! Okay!" Kincaid submissively lowered himself down. "I'll talk!"

"What did you do to May!" Keith's rage was rising exponentially as much as Kate's, but he refrained himself from cutting the guy's neck apart. This man had the information.

"I… I… I transmitted the properties of the Jewel of Life and Mewtwo's DNA into the girl! What else?!"

"Bastard! Tell me more!" Keith pinned the man's arms behind his back.

"Agh!" Kincaid gasped at the pain. And then he cackled maniacally. "I just wanted to take over your family and your little underground world… Your boss wouldn't be too happy, would she? Using your little girl as bait was perfect for bringing the downfall of the-"

"Don't tell me anymore!" Kate stood up, cradling her wet and sleeping daughter. "A bastard like you should be dealt by the Vendicare!"

"Oh? No punishment from you?" Kincaid smiled evilly, while Kate's eyes furrowed and her lips curled into a thin line. "Ethics, eh?"

Keith handcuffed Kincaid and left him hanging from the wall he propped the criminal with. "Yeah. We'll just let Vendicare deal with you…"

He huffed before joining his family. Kate was nearly at shambles at what other injuries Kincaid had done to May. Cuts and bruises spotted the little girl's arms. She had gone through this much, and could still breathe as if it were naptime. Kate was proud at such persistence.

"What should we do, boss?" Kate asked eagerly at May's sleeping body, while a figure on the leather chair wheeled at her direction.

"I believe," The shaded figure kindly suggested. "That she will have to be considered one of the Gifted, I'm afraid. I'm sorry to have involved you, no, not just you, but all of my subordinates to participate in such a bloody matter, but it can't be helped. Reborn-san was the one to tell me to do this."

Kate's eyes understood. Her boss was always blaming herself for all the horrible things she was forced to do. She didn't mind fighting sometimes if it meant her family, but still, she was human, one with very high ethics.

"I see," She got up from her seat in the office. "Then I'll accept the mission to Mount Chimney-Top then. Vendicare's said they didn't come quick enough to pick Kincaid up. He's been seen at that place, and the Union wants me and Keith to go."

"Okay, then," The figure turned away again. "But you know well that this is May's Trial, so just set it up for her. Don't do anything silly."

"Yes, boss." Kate bowed, and she and her daughter slipped away from the room.

"Here we are," Keith sighed to himself. "Chimney-Top Mountain."

"Yeah…" Kate sighed as well, looking at the ring that wasn't on her finger anymore.

"Kate?" Keith's voice was rather nervous now.

"Yes?" Kate looked at him.

"If we don't live after this…" Keith was rather weak in voice. "Let's just remember that May will be with us forever, right?"

Kate hesitated. Keith. He was energetic, cheerful, and daring. He would help, take risks for her, as she would to him. That is why she loved him.

"Yeah." Kate smiled, and they shared a quick kiss before entering the cave.

"So… What are we going to do today, Aunt Dawn?"

The navy blue haired woman smiled weakly.

"Hm…" Dawn thought out loud. She didn't feel that May needed to do a combat course that day, nor should she be hitting the books.

"Let's teach you how to delve!" Dawn clasped her hands together. The nine year old stared at her teacher questioningly.

"Delving?" May asked. "What's that?"

"Allow me to demonstrate." Dawn said, readying her fingers. "Please, sit down."

The girl did as she was told.

"Now," Dawn said. "Close your eyes. This won't hurt a bit. Your journey's in two months, and I felt that you should know this before you go."

"Uh…" May hesitated when she felt a cold touch on her forehead. Then the freezing feel turned to a warm tickle. Dawn smiled at the result.

"Now, think of something, anything, really," Dawn instructed.

"How about… the time you took me to Sinnoh?" May suggested. Dawn agreed.

Her eyes still closed, May thought hard of that trip. Then she could see in her mind vivid pictures of Snowpoint Temple, and Sendoff Spring.

"You can open your eyes now." Dawn's instruction came through, and the warm touch was gone. May looked up, seeing Dawn smiling.

"Good job." Dawn smiled. "I was able to see what you were thinking. Of your past experiences."

"Really?" May was surprised. "Can I try it?"

"Um… not yet…" Dawn hesitated. "You have to wait until you can stabilize that purple energy into something better."

"Keith…" Kate thought when she had finished the story. May's eyes were trembling after she had finished hers, summarizing her journey.

Then the training room door opened with several more people coming in. Kate smiled to see who it was. Several other people accompanied Wes and Rui. Kate wasn't at all surprised.

"Crow! Jack!" Ruka and Rua were running to who was the door. The orange haired man hugged the two teens while the blond spiky haired man looked on.

The other man looked rather surprised at the vastness of the room. His brown messy hair was the same to his ruffled lab coat.

"Oh great…" Gary Oak tried to tidy himself up. "On an important day like this, I had to be messy!"

"Gary?" Kate looked at the scientist, and then the man noticed her.

"Kate!" He yelled. "You're actually alive!"

"Yes. I am." Kate smirked. Crow and Jack came along.

"We were really worried about you, really." Jack gruffly commented.

"But Yusei and Aki wouldn't tell us anything!" Crow shouted. "Then we were DEAD worried about you!"

"Well, hehe…" Kate nervously laughed. "Keith's not back yet…"

Gary gave an understanding look, but then he stared at May's eyes.

"It's been a while since I saw you, May!" Gary smiled. May only stared, slightly smiling. Her shaking hands were still clutching the sheaths of her twin swords that were once her mother's.

"Well. I guess we're here to help you, right?" Crow asked. Kate nodded.

"Well, then, we're better with Yusei, but let's begin!" Jack clasped his hands together. "Oh, we brought Rua and Ruka's Duel Boards."

"Excellent!" Wes shouted. "A little training room for racing is just up ahead to the right!"

"Oh, thanks, man!" Crow waved graciously, and the four residents of New Domino City were away from the room. May could only imagine how big the underground training facility was.

"It's rather big, May," Kate said as if she could read May's face. "If we have time, I'll let you see the whole thing. Now, let's go to training, okay, May? Drew?"

The two nodded, and Kate led them out of the room, and through a little passageway.

"Alex, have you done any hand-to-hand combat?" Jaime asked curiously.

"Of course I have!" Alex readied her fists. It had been decided that a sparring match would start the training.

Without any hesitation, Jaime charged at his sister to punch, but Alex dodged slightly to the side with ease and grabbed the hand he used to throw his punch. Jaime's footing was messed up, and his sister took the chance to sweep him off his feet so he could fall flat on the floor. His back ached slightly. Come on, he endured better than this. Man, now he understood why that Sven guy who trained had to be harsh. Getting up, he chuckled.

"Good one, Alex," Jaime gave her a thumbs up. "But now that I know your speed level. We have to make it faster to passing level. So…"

Alex's eyes were full of worry. What was he going to do?

"I'll have to make you dodge these." Jaime reached into his pockets, and showed her something that obviously made Alex blanch.

"Eh?!" She cried. "Dynamite! What kind of brother would keep dynamite in his pockets and throw them at their older sister!?"

"A brother who is a Combat Ranger." Jaime smiled evilly. "Let the sibling fights begin."

"Oh, you're so getting it." Alex readied her feet, knowing that in the future she'll be blown off her feet.

"Hey, relax a bit," Jaime teased and reached into his pockets again, and showed his favorite weapon. "Next time is knives."

Alex could only gulp, but this was for the sake of getting stronger.

"Hey, I wonder why we're in the same room…" Tory twirled his staff absentmindedly as he looked at Rafe, who was swinging his nunchuck to see if the thing worked for him.

"Maybe…" Rafe then started swinging his weapon expertly, missing Tory's nose by an inch. "We're here to spar. Each other."

"Uh-oh," Tory gulped as he could see the sudden fighting aura around Rafe. "This isn't good. Mitsumi barely even taught to fully use this thing! Unless…"

Tory took out his favorite Pokemon, Jolteon.

"Okay, can you try to zap this little tip on the staff right here?" Tory asked gently. The little electric fox jumped delightedly, sending a spark to the lightning bolt emblem on the staff, and engulfing the whole stick in a field of electricity. Tory was rather surprised himself.

"Huh?" He moved his hands up and down the staff. "I can't feel any pain from the stick, even if it starts sending sparks at my body."

"It could be that ring that Kate gave you." Rafe suggested. Tory looked at the ivy-engraved silver jewelry.

"Yeah… it should be…" Tory then looked up. "Ready?"

"Always ever," Rafe smiled spinning his Nunchuck with one hand. "I just found out this Nunchuck doesn't conduct electricity. It'll be a little hard for you to land that pole on my body, though."

"Okay, then!" Tory began expertly twirling his staff, charging as he did so. "Mitsumi thankfully taught me how to fight, so let's start."

"You do know that I become a monster in fighting." Rafe reminded. Tory smiled back.

"So are you two dating?" Kate asked like any mom would do. They were still going down a corridor.

"No, mom, hehe…" May nervously answered. Drew then smirked.

"We are together, though," Drew emphasized 'together.'

"Oh?" Kate turned around so she was walking backwards. "You guys remind me of me and Keith. We always said that. You'll be perfect together."

"Mom…" May groaned in embarrassment.

"Okay, then, May." Kate smiled as she turned. "Here we are!"

She stopped in front of some automatic doors, which slid open. May and Drew clambered in, noticing it was yet another empty room. Well, not really. The room was a great resemblance to a dojo. The bamboo floors were everywhere, so the three of them had to take off their shoes.

"Okay, now." Kate took back the swords. "Mind if I borrow these, May?"

"Okay." May allowed permission, and Kate pulled them out. Drew then looked at Kate's excellent handling of the swords.

"Let's see how well you can do with your sword." Kate smiled. "I don't know your sword fighting style yet, so you get an advantage."

"Okay." Drew stepped up, and pulled out his katana, which was in such beautiful condition anyone could admire it. Kate slightly winced for some reason.

"Let's begin." Kate readied her swords. "I'll use the backs of my swords, so no one gets hurt."


	22. The Way of the Sword

Secret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 22- The Way of the Sword

May could only watch the two begin. Her Blaziken had somehow gotten out of its Pokeball, and it stood beside her to watch.

Drew and your mom… They must be harsh.

"Blaze!" May got all embarrassed. "It's just a sparring match, not some fight to the death."

Sorry.

Drew began charging at Kate, taking his Pokeball out.

"Masquerain! Let's fly!" Drew opened it, half way to Kate. Kate was stunned at such multi-tasking.

"Now, Masq!" Drew commanded. "Water Gun on the floor!"

The butterfly spun, and the floor was filled with water. At least an inch deep. Kate then immediately noticed what he was trying to do.

"Shigure Soen Ryu, Form nine," He whispered. He then let the tip of sword brush lightly across the water, as Kate slowly let her weapons from a cross.

Drew then swung his sword to a horizontal standstill, water trailing in a straight line from the tip of his sword. May was rather amazed by such display. The green haired boy then slashed the sword to the other side of his body. He was only a few feet away from Kate now. Kate held firm as her sword barrier was enough.

Finally, the blow was going to come. The water still trailing from behind, Drew then took his sword, and swung upward once his sword met Kate's, shortly paralyzing the woman's right hand for a second. She noticed this, and she punched her right arm with her left fist. Immediately, Kate then retaliated with a single blow to the boy's hip, and he slid on his feet a bit, and stopped.

"Hm… I know that move somewhere…" Kate stopped the match. "Who is your father?"

"Silas Hayden." Drew flatly said. Kate's eyes then widened.

"Yamamoto was right, after all…" She muttered to himself, and then she turned into informative. "Your sword style is Shigure Soen Style, correct? Your last move there was Form Nine, which your father's. It was called Horizontal Rain, right?"

Drew was rather impressed with Kate's knowledge. "Yes. It was."

"Too bad your style isn't invincible and flawless enough for mine." Kate smiled, readying her swords again. "Unless that is, if you create a new form."

"What do you mean by that?" May and Drew asked at once.

"The Shigure Soen Style," Kate began. "Is a sword style that has lasted for apparently nine generations. The reason why it lasted for so long? Because… This style is a style that transcends itself. Every generation of the style creates his or her own form to pass on to another generation. That type of succession is the reason why it is so flawless and invincible."

May and Drew were merely speechless. A sword style? May knew that this was to protect her, but this was just way too far. Drew would go to learn the deadliest fighting styles just to protect her. She herself couldn't believe.

"Why did you even decide to learn this?" May asked. Drew looked into her honest and solemn eyes.

"To protect you, of course." Drew answered dully. "But my dad would've taught me anyways."

"Huh?"

"Silas," Kate began yet another explanation. "Of course, he wanted to continue his branch of the Shigure Soen form, but this is rather strange…"

"What do you mean by strange?" Drew asked curiously, but Kate said nothing. She only returned her swords back to their sheaths, returning them to May.

"Your job," Kate turned to him. "Is to make your own form. At least one."

"Y…yeah…" Drew hesitantly nodded.

"Jaime!" Alex yelled as she quickly dodged an explosion. "Isn't this a bit too overkill?!"

Jaime didn't answer her question. "You're getting faster."

"What?" Alex was surprised, taking a forward roll before jumping. "I nearly got my head blown up!"

Jaime didn't even wince.

"That's the good part of this training." Jaime smiled. "Speed is an important part if you want to be a good Combat Ranger."

"I didn't say I want to be one!" Alex whined. "Wasn't this supposed to be hand-to-hand training anyways?"

"Maybe." Jaime said, and then he fingered his Styler. He needed to make a report the night before, but he couldn't find the time.

"I think I'll train my Pokemon." Alex absentmindedly took her trusty Pokeballs, taking out her Glaceon and Infernape. Jaime, who seemed rather interested, decided to put of the rest of training for the day and watch.

"Hmph," Rafe commented, rubbing his sore left arm. "You're pretty good."

"Hehe…" Tory extinguished the electricity from his staff. "You're not so bad yourself, to land that nunchuck at my arm for two times."

"It's lunch time already." Rafe checked his watch. "Let's go back."

The two boys walked outside the room. Then Tory looked at Rafe.

"You know," he commented. "I don't understand why we have to learn this combat stuff if we have Pokemon."

Rafe froze for a second, but he snapped out of it.

"I don't know either…" He sadly sighed.

The trainees and their tutors were assembled at the dinner table. Gary, Crow, and Jack had decided to stay to join them as well. Luna and Rui had found the time to cook a rather big meal, and they were all enjoying lunch. May was rather silent though, for she was too busy looking at the ring she received. Alex was done exasperatedly telling her friend how brutal her training was with her own brother throwing dynamite at her. May's sword practice was just as rough for the last few hours, but she wasn't tired enough to forget about the ring. The question went over and over in her mind.

What was this battle to come?

She was the first to finish, however, giving her time to return to her room for a rest. Kate knew that she couldn't give the kids the break, but this time she let it slide, for this was their first day, but she knew that if Reborn were here, he would not let any chance slide.

"Back to training, Alex," Jaime smiled, causing his sister to groan in annoyance. "To the next level."

She then immediately blanched, but she still followed. Luna chuckled at Jaime's expression when he left with his sister.

"He's probably happy that he's going to be as bad as Sven was when he trained us. Jaime was the first to collapse in the training, hehe…"

"Shocking." Kate commented. Ruka and Rua were instantly chattering about how their visit to LaRousse was with Jack and Crow, who nodded repeatedly at every word they said. Rafe was silently eating his sandwich, occasionally talking to Tory if he wanted to. Jackie and Lizabeth still weren't back, for they were eating out. Drew was just as curious as May was, but he filled himself with doubt whenever he thought of forming a tenth form for the Shigure Soen Style.

"How would I do that?"

May was lying down on her bed, deep in thought about that single question. She hadn't taken out that steel box, but she was looking at the ring again.

"These roses and doves," she said to herself. "They must mean something, do they?"

A knock then immediately followed. May turned slightly to the door.

"Who is it?" She asked politely.

"It's just me, Max." The door didn't open. "Kate wants to get on with training."

"Uh… okay." May got up, picking the swords, and went off to meet her mom.

"You train like some Spartan, Jaime!" Alex yelled as she immediately dodged a knife that sliced a minute portion of her bangs.

"Sorry, can't be helped." Jaime smiled, throwing another set. Alex silently hissed in frustration. This was too overkill! Then she fingered her Pokeballs, opening it.

"Infernape, Fire Blast!" She commanded, and the knives were still coming through. Alex made a high jump just to dodge the potent flames, and the knives were finally melted.

"You actually had the common sense to do that," Jaime sighed. "It's good that you actually made use of your Pokemon."

"I don't think this is any good, though…" Alex put Infernape away. "It's just ridiculous. I can feel that annoying murderous intent of yours! I'm fine enough already! I won't go through some training that involves throwing harmful things at people."

Jaime paused, and he put away the knives he was going to throw.

"I guess you're right…" Jaime agreed. "Sorry about that… you were better, though."

"Now can we just do 'regular' training?" Alex asked. "A sparring match. No weapons. It wasn't fair of you to suddenly start throwing dynamite at my head."

"Hehe… Okay then…" Jaime smiled. A camera was watching their every move, and the monitor in which someone viewed the camera's data. He sighed in irritation.

"Idiot," He grumbled. "He's way too soft."

Kate watched as her daughter swung the blade through the air against a Gallade, which somehow got into Kate's stash of Pokeballs she used back at Magma. The Slicer Pokemon grinned in delight that someone could finally match up to its strength.

"Whoa, May!" Drew was surprised that May could learn something so quickly. "I didn't know you were so good at swords!"

Kate nodded in agreement. "Adaptability, huh? Well, someone's going to come tomorrow to see your progress, the two of you."

The two teens stopped and looked at her in question. Kate knew they were going to ask the same thing. Who?

"Because you weren't with me for a while, May," Kate smiled. "You didn't get to see my extended family. My cousin is coming to see you."

"Well, you seem to have a lot of connections…" Drew commented. "You having people coming in and out of this underground place to watch us today. Is it going to be like this for another three days?"

Kate nodded as an answer. She needed to hide the other fact to why people were coming in and out of the house.

"Oh no!" May suddenly remembered.

"What?"

"Drew! We need to practice!" May put the swords away and ran to the door. Drew immediately understood and left with her. Gallade and Kate were left alone. Gallade then looked at its Trainer as she stared off into space.

"I don't know… was it really okay for boss to do such a bad thing to these kids? They shouldn't even be in this mess…"

I guess I'd agree. The Gallade spoke telepathically. This first task is nothing like what she is supposed to do in the future. But don't worry yet. We need to strategize on getting Storm back.

"Yeah…" Kate took a Pokeball and returned it. "You're right."

"Max, are you in here?" May's voice sounded through the room the next morning. Max immediately got up, racing to the door.

"Yeah." He opened the door, but he saw the worry on the girl's face.

"Are you okay?" May asked. Max blanched.

"Huh?" Max was surprised. "I was going to ask you that! You're frowning as if someone died!"

May then contemplated, but then she returned a cheery atmosphere again.

"Well, I was just worried that you were getting lonely, you know? You haven't been outside today…"

Max looked downward. But May placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to mind playing with my Pokemon when I'm training, right?"

"Huh?!" Max jumped. "Aren't you going to train with your Pokemon?"

"Blaziken only…" May solemnly sighed. "But I can trust you with the rest of my team, right?"

Max suddenly stiffened and saluted.

"Yep! You can leave that to me!" He proudly stood as straight as a board. May could only laugh.

"Hehe… Thanks, Max!" May smiled, and the door closed. Max was holding the five Pokeballs of May's team. He then decided that Beautifly and Glaceon should be out. What he didn't know was that a new Pokemon was waiting in another.

"Oh, Dawn, you're going to see the Trial up close?" the man in the large leather chair leaned back even further, observing a paper that was given to him earlier. Dawn smiled grimly.

"Yeah…" Dawn shook her head. "I'd be doing the mission, rather than helping, I'll be doing the best I can from here…"

"Funny thing…" the man chuckled. "That you ever set foot on Italy very seldom…"

Dawn nodded in agreement. "I still don't think May would react so happily once she learns the news of her future…"

The man chuckled, brushing his hand through his spiky brown hair.

"She's different from you." He smiled. "You accepted the position more readily. She'll be like me. Just stay calm, or Fuuta will be ranking you above Lambo in his list of Most Worried."

Dawn laughed. "You're funny sometimes, you know?"

"Hey," the man innocently waved his arms to prove his point. "I'm just trying to cheer people up. You can learn a lot from Yamamoto sometimes."


	23. Bonds

Secret of the Earth and Sky! Chapter 23- Bonds

May, look out!

Blaziken yelled out at May as the Gallade nearly gave a satisfying blow to the girl's stomach. May then complete a back flip to dodge the second swing. The Gallade was about to proceed, but Kate merely raised a hand, and it calmed down. May was panting uncontrollably, yet her hands only gripped on the hilts of her swords even more.

"Not bad for today," Kate smiled, returning Gallade. "You've been getting increasingly better for the past three days… Drew is rather not so shabby himself."

May looked to the door where Drew was intensely training himself with Roserade, still attempting to find a form to succeed his father's.

"Yes… Not bad at all …" A voice sounded from the entrance of the training room, and the three turned their heads.

He was a rather tall man with brown hair the same color as Kate's, but a great deal of his bangs had grown long and fell over half of his face. His blue eyes glistened in the fluorescent light. As for his attire, he wore a black jacket with a red shirt and blue jeans.

"You're rather early…" Kate smiled. "Did the plane come too soon, Basil?"

"Nope." The man grinned. "I was eager to see my cousin again."

"Cousins?" May asked in curiosity.

"Ah, I have forgotten," Basil nodded kindly. "I am Basil, at thy service."

Blaziken looked at May. Is this guy even from the Twenty-first Century?!

"I know," Kate smiled. "Basil has a habit of speaking in Old English."

"Oh." May and Blaziken said together.

"Sorry," Basil sighed. "I've practiced really hard last year, and now I can speak the modern way now! I just revert to my old self sometimes!"

May could barely hear Kate's sigh of relief. She then noticed that Basil had a strange triangle pouch dangling from the side of his belt, arousing curiosity to the Trainer.

"Well, you're still slightly late," Kate sighed. "Gary needs to give you some stuff. And May and I had just finished."

Stuff? Blaziken gave May a questioning look.

"Is that so?" Basil asked politely. "Is May busy this evening?"

"Yes." Kate said boldly. "She has a Contest this afternoon."

Basil then turned on his heel.

"Thanks, Kate. I'll see what Gary needs me to do."

May was rather confident even more. This Contest was not any normal Contest, nor was it a Grand Cup. It was a Tag Battle Contest, and who could be a better partner for her than Drew? In her mind, Drew was second to none when it came to Contest partners.

Despite all the confidence, May clenched the folds of her dress. She then noticed that her little tiara was lopsided, and she proceeded quickly to fix it. She slumped on the chair again, waiting for the green-haired boy to come out and tease her for her laziness. He came out, of course, but he said nothing.

"Tired?" Drew asked wearily, for he was tired himself. May got up from her seat, holding her new Pokemon's ball.

"No. Not really," Her cheerful disposition came up again. "I just can't wait to show the crowd my new Pokemon!"

"New?" Drew smirked. "Can't you say it's just evolved?"

"Drew!" May slapped him playfully. "You know if I said 'evolved' to the media, it would be too predictable. Saying 'new' would bring even more tension! Besides, you already know what it is."

"Yep." Drew smiled back, but with a weaker display. "I know."

All of May and Drew's friends were waiting in the audience, watching as the other Coordinators, not to mention that a certain cheerful Cacturne purple haired one was there, too. They all knew that these appeals were excellent, but Drew and May's would be much more dazzling. Kate, who hadn't felt the thrill of being in the audience of a Contest for a long time, sighed happily as Basil watched her enjoy.

"Been a long time?" he asked. Kate nodded slightly.

"Hey guys!" Rua pointed out. "May and Drew are up next!"

Everyone sat up and were focused on the stage where the host announced the names.

"Drew Hayden, and May Maple!" the host loudly announced even with a microphone at hand. The whole group heard the little mistake in names. May's last name was Smart, but because she had initially registered as Maple, and she didn't want to be publicized for the new name change, she kept it the same, that is until she wins the Grand Festival.

But now wasn't the time to think of things like that. It was time to watch the show. Drew, clad in his usual suit and tie, walked along May, who was wearing her Arabian-themed costume. Everyone cheered at the two popular Coordinators as they held hands and tossed their Pokeballs simultaneously with their free hands.

"Masquerain!"

"Milotic!"

"Take the stage!" The two said the last words in unison, and the water dragon gracefully surrounded the arena in a shower of mist, with the white butterfly producing a climbing staircase of glimmer about the four of them.

Milotic noticed the awe from the audience, and then proceeded to the next step. It rolled about into a neat coil in the center of the arena. Masquerain made the decisive move with a Morning Sun, changing the silhouette of itself into a heart with the skillful winds of Gust. The heart enlarged, and then burst into another shower, but with gold mist. Everyone was even more amazed.

"That's the Dynamic Duo for you, folks!" The host commented joyfully. "They are the favorites today!"

Drew gave off a smile, while May waved furiously at the crowd, her eyes closed in happiness. They were bound to win this Contest, no matter what.

As a matter of fact, they did win the Contest very easily, knocking opponents so effortlessly, the judges began to wonder about the two's real strength. After receiving their respective ribbons, Drew and May followed each other out the spotlight of the stage and into the reception room, only to be swarmed by a numerous amount of reporters.

"That was such a great combination!" One began.

"A new one, too!" said another.

"But why a heart! Are you dating?!" asked a reporter, hoping for a good story.

"Uh…" Drew hesitated. They were sorta together, but no publicity, please?

"It's not really dating." May explained proudly. "We like to show how much our bonds with our friends mean to us. As for the other questions, no comment."

Drew suddenly felt himself being tugged away into the dressing rooms. The door shut on him, allowing himself some privacy.

"Wow, May…" He smiled. "You're braver than I thought…"

"Yay! May's got another ribbon!" Max celebrated at his friend's victory. Alex was happily jumping along with Rua as well, with Ruka and Tory silently grinning over the matter. May gave a weak smile, and everyone could see that she was getting tired from the past three days. Kate sighed.

"You get a break tomorrow," She smiled, and at the back of her head, she added. Although Reborn would kill me if I did.

"Thanks, Mom!" May smiled back, and Kate was even better. She was rather happy that May had gotten used to the new family changes. Was this one of her abilities, Adaptability? Certainly like Dawn, in Kate's opinion. But the joy was cut short for the Ranger, for when she stared up at the starry skies, where the moon presently was at the phase of a crescent.

"Two more days…" She said absentmindedly to herself. "Two more days before the crisis begins…"

"Ah… Boss?" Archie asked nervously. The heavy smell of hairspray was probably going to get to his head any minute now. The blond man looked up, smiling maliciously.

"What is it? Archie?" he got up from his seat, accidentally setting a pencil rolling away from its first position.

"My subordinate… escaped?" Archie smiled nervously, waiting for a sudden outburst of rage to be thrown at him. Sweat rolled down his forehead, either from suspense or from the hairspray. Kincaid's lips curved into a round grin.

"Should I care?" He smiled even more. "It would be ten times better if I can get some decent opponents… You as a subordinate should get back to work… And don't worry. My hold on Storm is very very strong. Only the sky would be able to penetrate the barrier I put on him. Surely the other side has none of that, for Dawn is already retreated. She's probably spooked out from my power. The Flame of Rage will rise to the top of the Berlitz again, and possibly, I can get even the Vongola off their feet. Xanxus's attempt was a bad one. I'll be the one to be the top."

The man gave a classic maniac laughter that one could see from villains in the classic Disney movies; just that someone was witnessing the strange action.

"Oh? And leave please." Kincaid smiled. "I need to rest. The game we are about to play will drain a lot of my energy, but I doubt I'd need to raise a finger. Without a sky to lead, I'd doubt the Berlitz will not rebel to welcome me into their ranks… Fufufufu…"

Archie nervously walked away, still not understanding how mad that man could be…

It was midnight in the residence of Wes and Rui… Kate couldn't sleep, and neither could Basil. It was rather strange, not having a close friend like Keith beside them. They decided that sitting on the balcony of Kate's room would soothe them of their worries. Jackie and Lizabeth, in fact, were not at work, as Kate saw it. Their only job was to get to Almia and give Isaac the egg for further handling. They left the town to avoid trouble, for they would never allow themselves to be involved in this battle. Never at all.

"Are you sure you're just going to let them just go into the base on their own?" Basil asked, for he only heard of the plan a few hours ago. Kate gave a grave look at her cousin.

"The boss said I can't interfere, but I can help the person who is to battle the opponent's Storm," Kate solemnly turned away. "Of course, I'd be rather reluctant."

"And what about your swords?" Basil asked even more anxiously. "They're May's now. You know you're not good at anything else-"

"I didn't say anything about that, did I?" Kate smiled. "Keith's stuff is still in the bag I brought in when I came back to base."

Basil's eyes widened in shock, for he didn't expect the woman to recover her husband's deadly arsenal.

"You have everything?" Basil verified the information. Kate nodded.

"Everything, including Wes's Snag app. May's just started to learn about that app, heh." She casually leaned back. "But she won't have to use it in the future. As long as she has those swords, she'll be fine."

"Dawn? You awake?" A voice asked the woman, who was about doze off on the counter. Her eyes fluttered open, and she steadily rose from her sleeping place.

"Reborn?" She asked quietly. "What is it this time?"

The little Mafioso smiled at her clueless approach.

"Tsuna wants you to see the training Kate sent you." He explained. "Just because you can't participate in the work, doesn't mean you can't see what's going on. You're still boss, remember?"

Dawn then jumped off from the seat.

"I had forgotten that!" She cried disdainfully. "I need to get the computer base as soon as possible!"

The Berlitz left in a swish of a cloak, and Reborn was left to catch the note that flew out of her coat.

"Just like Dame-Tsuna… More like Ryohei," he sighed as he read it. "You still keep notes on things, and then you forget to read your notes."


	24. The Fray Begins with Thunder

Secret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 24- The Fray Begins with Thunder

The progress of training was getting effectively better for May. As to Basil and Gary's statistics, she was much faster, and she was more accurate in hits than the time she was training with Dawn. The Gallade she was sparring with was now looking as if it had been slowing down significantly.

May had also been remembering how the others were faring. Alex and Jaime apparently stopped the dynamite skirmish and returned to a more "normal" training. Rua and Ruka were training, but they wouldn't tell anyone what they were doing with Crow and Jack, nor would they allow anyone except Kate, Gary, and Basil to see their progress. Rafe and Tory were fighting like Spartans in their own little room. As for Drew, May had seen nothing from him, but he had emerged from his training room yesterday with a big grin on his face. Kate and May knew what had happened. Drew had finally finished creating his tenth form. Both were happy for him, but they remained silent. It was best that they mind their own business.

The young trainers appreciated extensive combat training, but they all wondered why they were put into this. May herself had doubts, especially about the rings and boxes. What were their uses? Why were they part of this? She even wondered if the underground training structure was something more than just a training structure. With Gary coming around very often with a laptop to record her stats, May was more suspicious. She would ask, but no one would answer her woes.

The final day… Kate thought to herself as she looked at the calendar Rui had put on the wall, in case a guest needed it. She rubbed her eyes to adjust to sun in her face of the moonlit balcony.

"A few more hours, and we'll be battling that bastard and his little set of lackeys…" Kate thought out loud. "Hopefully, we give the warning first…"

She picked up her pace as she went down the stairs, knowing that everyone had already assembled to begin training, but today was their day. No one could teach them anymore. It early morning, and in a few hours, they would be heading out.

"You'll be having this whole time off." She solemnly announced. "Use it wisely, for a big event will happen in five hours."

She received a flurry of nods, and everyone was exiting the room. Kate sighed. It was strange being what she was trained to do again. But a right hand has no time for that.

"Kate!" Gary's scared voice came quickly. "Hurry! There's a message!"

May, Drew, and Alex, who were going to leave last, heard the plea as well, and they followed an irritated Kate into the underground structure. But the path they took was unfamiliar, so they had to trust Kate. They came upon a pair of automatic doors, and they arrived in what looked like a control room. The three teens stared in awe at the strange surroundings.

"This… is… different…" Alex stuttered. Gary could be seen at the chairs, busily typing in codes, but he noticed who else was with Kate.

"They shouldn't be here, should they!?" He yelled. "This is the message from the boss!"

"Just turn it on." Kate tiredly took a seat. "They'll need to know what she has to say…"

The large computer screen turned on, and Dawn's face was at the center. May and Drew were rather surprised that Dawn was there, too surprised to remember what Kate and Gary were saying earlier.

"Oh?" Dawn noticed the three of them. "You're here so soon? I'm rather relieved that you came early."

"It's not early anymore…" Kate sternly corrected her. "It's going to begin."

Dawn's face was from cheerful to stern.

"Is that so?" She calmly asked. "Well then, you three."

Drew, Alex, and May were at their utmost focus.

"Please," Dawn solemnly reminded them. "Be careful."

The screen began to buzz and crackle into nothingness, causing Gary to panic and repeatedly snap at the wires.

"I've lost connection!" Gary cried in disdain. "But something else is coming in! I can't hold it off!"

Everyone gasped. Kate was not really shocked, though.

"Let him in on the com." She sighed in annoyance, and the screen turned on again, but this time to reveal someone Drew and Alex could not recognize.

"Fufufufu…" the man cackled, stroking his blond hairspray-filled hair. "You're rather sharp, to break from my control, Kate…."

May was gaping at the sight. This man… she remembered somewhere! Her head was swimming in confusion, but she clutched on the railing for support.

"Bastard," Kate irritably sighed. Drew and May gaped. Kate had never used such language before. Whatever it was, she didn't seem to like anything about the guy.

"Using such bad language in front of the kids, shame, shame…." The man chuckled.

"You're the insult for them in the first place!" Kate spat. "Do you even know who your opponent is, Kincaid?!"

"Hm?" The man turned to see May, Drew, and Alex. "A bunch of naïve teens? How amusing of you, Kate…."

"Idiot…" May muttered, but she turned on the man to massage her temples from the pain that was coming to her head. She was remembering something horrible, and she couldn't let it get away.

"May, you all right?" Alex turned to her. "You don't seem so great… You're getting pale."

"Come on, May," Drew directed her to the door. "You need rest."

"No." May's cold voice stopped them from doing anything else, and she turned to the man again. Kate smiled. It was time her daughter grew fangs.

"Hm?" Kincaid played along. "Are you my opponent?"

May was dead serious in her look.

"Yes." She said boldly. "As a matter of fact, I am your opponent, Kincaid. I won't let someone get away with something they did on me ten years ago…"

"Oh? Is that so?" Kincaid chuckled, causing confusion to Drew and Alex. "You'll be the first to fall. And just to let you know, I'll be seeing you tonight at Leoni Creek. Ciao!"

The screen closed, and May was left clenching the railing. When she let go, Drew and Alex shuddered in fear as they could see that the part of that railing was severely dilapidated. May was cold once again, and she left the room without a word. Kate could only watch. She remembered the comment Kincaid would give.

"Fufufufu…. You're becoming more of an assassin every day…"

Kate cursed at that statement, and she herself stormed out.

"May? You in there?" Drew nervously knocked on her door with Alex silently watching him receive a polite answer.

"Come in. I was going to talk to you anyway." May's voice was calm, and they casually went in. May was sitting on the bed, aimlessly flipping through a random book.

"You knew we were coming?" Drew and Alex asked in unison.

"Yeah… I just heard you, so I thought it was you." May answered plainly.

They were silent for only a few minutes.

"That guy… what did he do to you that makes you so angry?" Drew asked. May sighed from their innocence of her situation.

"When I was younger…" She began. "I was tortured. I was only three, yet I can still remember the pain I felt. The only face I remembered was that man. He was the one who had done this to me. I still some scars from it. After seeing that man's face again, I remember what happened, and I can't let it go."

May showed them the side of her arm, slightly above her arm, where a discolored line was left, and no one had even noticed it, despite the contrast in color. But there it was, right in their faces.

"That was a scar?" Drew looked at it more closely. "I thought it was just the sun."

"I'd like people to believe that," May said miserably. "But I don't think keeping secrets from my friends would be the right thing to do."

"That torture…" Alex commented. "must be very vexing for you to remember that now, right?"

"Well…" May answered. "That torture was the reason why I can use that orange aura fire thing now."

"Really?" Drew and Alex jumped. May nodded. Her research was what helped her find out. She looked at the clock.

"Two more hours before we set off. Leoni Creek is not so far from this house. What concerns me is if this battle to come involves anyone innocent. The name of Team Magma and Aqua are just useless names now. The real cause is that man…"

"May?" Drew solemnly noticed the mood change again. "You're sounding as if this battle is very different."

"It is, Drew." Alex assured her friends. "It is very different. Even I'm sure of it. It's going to have to do with these rings, and we can't let anyone bad get the power."

"But friends are friends." May ended the conversation. "You'll help me when I get in a sticky situation today, right?"

"Of course!" Alex was shocked that May would say something ridiculous. "We'll be there for you!"

"I'll protect you as best as I can." Drew sat down on the bed beside her, and May smiled in content.

"Fufufufu…" Kincaid chuckled. "So we'll be meeting again, May-kun… I hope you're ready for the Flame of Wrath… All the Guardians are in place, yes?"

"Yes, Kincaid-sama." Said one of the fearful secretaries, whose legs buckled. "They're in their positions."

"Good…" Kincaid chuckled. "I wonder how powerful the opponent will be… It'll be difficult if they are the ones holding the Berlitz rings. Oh my… I think they do have it. How silly of me… Well, challenges are the thrilling ones, so I'll be happy!"

The secretaries slunk away from their mad boss's room, and were rushing to their own rooms.

The evening came, and several people filed out of the house. Drew was holding the bag containing his katana, the blue-gemmed ring gleaming on his right hand. Alex wore the ring as well, checking the time every minute or so. She couldn't wait to use her Pokemon in battle. Jaime was observing his Styler when he was actually reaching into his pocket to make sure he had enough knives and dynamite to use. Rua and Ruka were carrying strange skateboards with them, along with a strange metal cuff on their left wrists. Rafe was walking with his hands deep in his pockets, his nunchuck hidden behind his coat. Tory was carelessly swinging his electric staff round and round, but at least he kept some distance from the rest of the group. Basil was looking at his triangular pouch every so now and then. Kate, who was rather happy to use her Vatonage Styler again, was up front, using a map to find the creek. With the swords clinking noisily against her side, May could not forget the lecture Gary gave to them.

"You will be given comlinks, and special clothing." Gary began.

"Clothing?" All eight teens were surprised. Gary nodded.

"These clothes look like your normal clothing, the ones you wear every day, but they are made of reinforced cloth that will protect you from fire and other corrosion damage. Please enter the enemy's base with care. Comlinks are equipped with devices that stop Pokeball disruptors, so as long as those things are in one piece, you are free to use your Pokeballs in case you are stuck in battle. And can you test the comlinks first?"

May and Drew looked at each other.

"You hear?" Drew spoke to her.

"Crystal." May answered back.

"HEEYYY!" Rua yelled. "Can anyone hear me!?"

Jaime pounded his fist on the table in frustration. Kate and Ruka sighed in embarrassment.

"You didn't have to be so loud!" Jaime argued with the older.

"Sorry."

"You probably broke my comlink than test with it!"

"Ah…" Alex sighed. "Jaime, as hotheaded as usual… Jaime! Calm down! Don't blow up the room, please!"

May sighed in content. She was rather curious about what Gary meant by corrosion on the clothing. Not like Team Magma and Aqua would be sending acidic stuff at them…

Max had only a few minutes before he saw his friends again. He raced down the stairs as fast as he could, bumping into the very person he wanted to see.

"Max?" May looked down at the little boy. For a young child like him, he was rather amazing by the fact that he accepted that they were going to battle. The innocent eyes were still visible from behind the glasses Max wore.

"May… I want to give you this before you go…" He dug into his pockets and procured a silver chain. On that silver chain was a silver pendant. It was only a little silver disc, but an elegant Gracidea was engraved on the surface.

"I was supposed to give this to you a long time ago…" Max admitted, "Mom wanted to give you this before you left the Gym. She said it was a good luck charm."

May could only smile at the little boy that was once her younger brother. She gratefully took it, and clasped it on her neck.

"Thank you, Max." She bent down to hug the boy, who was actually crying slightly.

May continued to look at her apparently new gloves over and over again. They hadn't changed a bit, but somehow, she felt lighter in these new clothes than last time. She didn't say anything, however.

They went off in a tangent from the road through a forest. Kate wasn't very surprised, for although the man was insane, Kincaid would at least have the sense not to put a hideout in the middle of the road. The forest was unusually silent, and a dog's cry could be heard at a distance. In a few minutes, they heard the sound of rushing water as they ventured for more miles. The sun was slowly becoming visible on the horizon right behind the hills.

"Dawn?" Reborn asked quietly. Dawn looked down, waiting for the question.

"Yes, Reborn?"

"Did Tsuna send you, or did you go on your own accord?"

Dino, who was resting beside her on the plane, was rather alert of what was going on.

"I won't be on time to see everything…" Dawn explained. "But I can only witness it. This is May's trial, not mine. And my Guardians here in Italy can take care of the matters I have here."

"Ah, your Judgment never fails." Reborn dozed off and fell asleep. Dawn sighed.

"He's a baby…" Dino commented, and Dawn chuckled at the comment.

"Here we are!" Kate exclaimed, and they reached an empty clearing where shrub had dared to sprout from the grounds.

"This is their place?" Alex asked flatly, hoping to see something amazing.

"Wrong you are!" A voice came from behind them, and they turned to see that a strange woman was standing in front of a slight of stairs that would take the visitor down underground. She was strange, but Alex, Drew, and May immediately knew who the woman was…

"Shelly!?" The three of them yelled in unison. The woman cackled slightly.

"Hm… I was told by Kincaid-sama that you brats would come today… but I only get to choose one person…" She eyed each person with a strange malice that gave everyone even Kate shudders. But a spin of a silver staff caught the commander's eye. Tory's eyes held a dangerous glint of anger.

"I'm your opponent." He answered boldly. "I don't know you, but you're going to let my friends pass when I battle you. Agreed?"

"Sure, why not?" Shelly took her Pokeball out. "Carnivine! Show them!"

The annoying green vine monster burst from the Pokeball, and Tory could only smirk.

"Jolteon! Let's bring the thunder!"

May felt herself being shoved off her footing, and she stumbled into the stairway with everyone else. Shelly was left gaping at Tory.

"How can you use a Pokeball? I know I have a Disruptor with me!"

Tory allowed his electric Eeveelution spark the tip of his staff, and the electricity spread throughout the whole metal pole.

"I have a few tricks of my own." He smirked. The thrill of battle was in the air, while Shelly smirked back.

"You are much more of a nuisance than I thought," She sighed, taking out her secret little weapon. "You don't happen to know what I can do, can you?"

Tory didn't speak as she began brandishing her pair of daggers, which were glinting in the morning sun.

"Good." Tory smiled. "This will be even more exciting!"

"You wish." Shelly began charging at Tory with such speed, Tory didn't have time adjust to the fact that she was moving at 100 miles per second. He felt a strong force hitting his back, but not piercing it. Tory rolled on the floor just in time to save himself from a devastating fall. This Shelly person was going to take her time.


	25. The Clouds Clear

Secret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 25- The Clouds Clear

"Is Tory going to be okay?" Ruka asked worriedly, adjusting her Duel Disk slightly. Kate didn't need to turn around to talk.

"He'll be fine." She answered. "If he passes Basil's and my expectations, then he'll be alright. His resolution is strong."

"I agree." Basil was warily looking ahead when he stopped with Kate also watching. Everyone else stopped behind them. Those in the back started to strain their necks to see what was ahead.

"What's going on?" Alex asked. "There's nothing in front. It's just a steel-cased hallway."

May doubted it. Yeah, it was an empty hallway, but for some reason, she could feel that it was a dead end. Something was tricking her. Was it a mirror? A camera trick?

"An illusion…" Kate muttered. May looked up at her mother. An illusion? What did she mean by that? She could feel Drew grasp her hand while Kate turned around this time, facing Ruka and Rua.

"Can you take care of this?" She watched them ready their Duel Disks. "I suspect that a Mismagius is the reason. Maybe your opponents."

May could see that Rua was taking out a brown and black playing card from the Duel Disc, and he placed it on the platform that was sticking out of the strange contraption. The Disc hummed to life, and a strange Dragon seemingly made of large-sized hardware tools materialized from thin air.

"Power Tool Dragon! Drill it out!" Rua cried, and the Machine Dragon nodded and charged through the seemingly endless hall, until it stopped and nearly crumpled on the wall, but thanks to its intuition to keep its arms in front, it was safe. The arms were apparently knocking a Mismagius out, as Kate and Basil expected. May and the others were still surprised by Power Tool Dragon, for never in their life they had seen such a Pokemon. The dragon faded away like mist, and a strange laughter echoed throughout the halls, as if it were on a megaphone.

"Fufufufu… You seem to have passed my first trap." The voice echoed. Kate snarled, knowing that a deadly game was going underway.

"What do you want, Kincaid!?" She yelled to no one, and a laugh came back through an echo. May could feel Drew's hold on her hand tighten even more as the man snickered.

"Fufufufu…" The voice sneered. "I'm not that stupid. Just a little game is all I ask for…"

The ground began to shake furiously, and they all tried to lean on the wall for support. Ruka cried in fear, while Rua held her with his free hand. Alex and Jaime were crawling sideways to try to avoid the earthquake but with no avail. The ground was splitting apart in squares, separating the group.

May was one steel platform with panicking Basil as she attempted to reach for Drew, who was also alone on his own platform. Jaime and Kate were calling to everyone for help. Rua and Ruka were still on the hallway, trying to help anyone close to them, but nothing worked.

Rafe, who had been calmly quiet the whole time, looked onward to see that everyone was floating platforms and were entering a different cave. Alex was meanwhile clutching the floor for support. Her platform was moving downwards instead of horizontally.

"May!" She cried desperately. "Drew! Jaime! Kate! Rafe! Rua and Ruka! Don't leave me!"

"Not bad for a brat." Shelly snickered. "But you are not fit to be a Thunder Guardian. That is my job!"

Tory cringed at her words. What was a Thunder Guardian? Was she talking nonsense? He snapped out of his confusion, getting enough time to dodge the thorny vines. Jolteon immediately used Thunderbolt to ward the annoying things away from her master, but the victorious feeling did not last long.

The ground of the forest was shaking furiously, and the four fighters kept their ground. A strange blue transparent group of walls were spreading around the four of them and the entrance. It was forming an arena of some sort, to keep outsiders away and combatants inside.

"Welcome, Thunder Guardians…" The irritating voice of Kincaid rebounded through the walls. "This is your arena, and you will have to use your all, because one can only escape if one defeats the other and gains possession of the Ring of Thunder. But in this case, one of you already have the ring."

Tory immediately presumed that the ivy-engraved ring he was wearing was the ring he mentioned.

"This means the other must take the ring from you to win. A monitor of your comrades will be displayed. So have fun!"

"Wha-" Before Tory could say anything else, he intuitively swing his staff forward, blocking a surprise attack from the crazy commander's daggers, but something even more shocking came up.

Just as the daggers came into contact with the electrified staff, the little knives seemed to conduct electricity through the blades. The blades then immediately went backwards and returned safely to the owner's hand.

"Huh?" Tory jumped away, noticing that several monitors were arranging themselves about the arena. Not only that. Shelly's face was even more surprising. It was contorted with the worst degree of menace.

"Hm." She laughed. "You didn't think that I was a Thunder Guardian for nothing?"

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Tory yelled at the woman.

What are you staring at!? Another voice came through to his head. Tory turned at his Jolteon, whose fur was giving off little sparks.

"Sorry," He began running alongside his partner Pokemon, spinning his staff again. "Let's roll!"

"Everyone…" Alex's voice grew hoarse from shouting too much. The platform was still moving down, and her hands balled into fists. They were quite red after pounding the floor so many times.

"It's that Kincaid person's fault." She growled under her breath. "He sent me here."

"That is correct." A female voice came chuckling from behind her. Alex realized that she was beginning to move to an even larger platform, in better terms, a very large cage suspended in mid air. Like a puzzle piece, the platform the Italian Trainer was standing upon fit itself in a hollow gap perfectly. The piece molded itself into the floor, and it looked like it had never been separated. Alex was getting slightly nervous of who was standing before her.

"You probably don't know me very well…" She said quietly. "I'm Tabitha. And you are?"

"Alessandra Cesarini." Alex proudly straightened her back, putting her game face on. "You're going to tell me how to get out of here."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Tabitha menacingly began cracking her knuckles, removing her cape to reveal a very worked out body. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail like Alex, her amber eyes shining with interest. She wore something similar to what Kate used to wear as a Magma commander, only that the emblem of Magma was gone. It was now a strange swirly symbol Alex thought was a logo of a hairspray can.

Alex reached into her Pokeball bag tied around her waist (new equipment), and called out Infernape.

"Oh? A fighting type?" Tabitha chuckled. "I have one too…"

She pulled out her own Pokeball, and a Hitmonchan appeared before the Fire Monkey.

"You don't happen to know any bit of kickboxing, do you?" Tabitha softly asked, wrapping her fists with gauze. Alex shivered at the furrowing brow.

"Eh…" She whimpered slightly. "Does Taekwondo and Karate count?"

"Works for me…" Tabitha trailed off, and several monitors came up around the cage. Kincaid's face began to show up in every one this time.

"Welcome to the Sun Guardian match!" he began in a sing-song voice. Alex's eyes widened in confusion. Sun… Guardian? What was this about?

"Ah! Kincaid-sama!" Tabitha exclaimed.

"Tabitha-chan…" Kincaid began. "Your task is to take Cesarini's Sun Ring… and all you have to do, Cesarini, is to take Tabitha-chan down… Meanwhile… your comrades are safe… for now. So you can watch them at the same time on these monitors… Fair for you?"

"Yes, Kincaid-sama!" Tabitha began lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet. Alex didn't say a word. Instead she was alert, keeping her hands up, eyeing the woman. Infernape eyed the Hitmonchan, who was brandishing its boxing gloves.

Be careful. Infernape warned its Trainer. Now the Ring bearers could talk with their Pokemon nowadays. It was shocking at first, but they immediately got used to it.

"Let's go!" Tabitha screeched, shocking Alex and Infernape. As the boxer began to display really strange footwork, Alex bit her lip in fear. Tabitha seemed to be performing Double Team with Hitmonchan!

"May…" Drew looked about curiously. "Please be okay…"

"You should be worrying about yourself, not your girlfriend." A man's voice began to echo around Drew. He was in nothingness, but he pulled out his katana, and Roserade drew out of her Pokeball, sensing a murderous intent about her Trainer. The lights began to shine at a dim level, and immediately, Drew noticed that his platform was only centimeters away from a shallow pool of water, possibly three inches.

A man was standing on the other end of the room of water on his own steel platform. He wore a blue bandana, a striped shirt, and dark blue pants. Drew squinted to take a further look. The man was holding a pair of steel sticks that were the length of his wrist to his elbow.

"If you want to see her again…" A voice Drew recognized to be Kincaid's. "You have to get through Maxie and keep your ring."

The lights brightened at its full strength, and the room was decorated with computer monitors on the walls. Drew didn't say a word, but his mouth was slightly agape in awe.

"Let the battle of the Rain begin!"

"Grah!" Maxie impulsively began charging at Drew. Drew's eyes narrowed in concentration, his hands spinning the sword to the position of the blade was almost parallel to his arm.

"The Bloom of the Rose." He muttered, remembering what to do. "Full Blast."

As you wish, Drew. Roserade understood the command, and performed a Leaf Storm surrounding Drew. His head was bowed while Maxie still had five yards to go before he could hit the green haired boy.

Rafe looked at his opponent, who was sprawled facedown on the floor. They hadn't caused much destruction, if you count out the pillar Rafe had smashed Archie into. The red haired opponent groaned softly as Rafe turned on his heel to walk away without a word.

"Wait… Rafe…" Archie groaned. Rafe slowly turned around and knelt down beside the man.

"Please… take this…" Archie tried to reach into his pockets for a strange capsule that looked like a Pokeball. He pressed the circular button, and the thing opened to reveal a purple orb of energy.

"What is this?" Rafe pointed at the strange thing as it rose into the air, pulsating with excitement, and began running about him in a playful manner. Archie gave off a weak smile.

"I didn't want to hurt you or myself in this battle…" Archie sighed. "I hate violence… But you have defeated me… Has Kate told you of the Seals?"

Rafe nodded coldly as the purple orb finally entered his ring's gem, glowing with excitement, and then settling to it normal self.

"This is the Seal?" Rafe asked the frail Commander…

"Yes…" He weakly answered. "Has she told you of the real meaning of this battle?"

A nod was the answer.

"Your friends are waiting for you. Dawn will be coming soon. Hurry, please…"

Archie was to give some final words to Rafe when the boy was up from his knees.

"I'm sorry this battle was short… You probably wanted a more thrilling battle anyways, Cloud Guardian."

Yes… Rafe's Weaville understood the situation. But why has Kincaid forced you into this?

"Because…" Archie moaned. "He has a power… And that is… the Flame of Wrath and Influence…"

"But how did Kate escape his power?" Rafe asked, hoping for another piece to the puzzle.

"Kincaid is only human…" Archie gasped for air. "He underestimated Kate's resolution to escape. The difference between her and her husband used to be… used to be this. Keith was far more… rebellious than Kate… He put a stronger hold on Keith than Kate, and focused solely on him. He has flaws, you know."

"I see…" Rafe looked away, but Archie mustered the strength to bring the boy's attention back by tugging gently on the boy's pants.

"But there is no need to worry about your friend, Ruka…" He reassured the boy. "She and her brother and your friends have the resolution. I know you have it, too… And take this…"

Rafe was given a strange watch.

"This is a camera of all the rooms… you can switch between the footage if you want to…" Archie was barely breathing. "And…"

Rafe cringed at the words he was longing to hear.

"I'm… proud…" Archie etched his final grin. "To be your opponent…"

We understand… Weaville nodded, and pressed on the man's temple, and Archie was unconscious. Rafe only stared intensely at the man's limp form. This was what his future job was going to be…

"Weaville." He asked for his partner's attention.

What is it? She asked earnestly.

"We need to find Rua and Ruka…" He turned on his heel once more. "I can sense that they are in a Duel…"

"Have you tracked them down, Dawn?" Dino asked the woman. She nodded her head as she brushed away another leafy branch during their walk in the forest.

"They are right here." Dawn pointed at the clearing, where she immediately put her hand out to release an orange flame. The invisible walls of the Lightning arena hummed to life and faded to make a little entrance. The two bosses and the best hitman in the world walked through quickly.

"The Trials seemed to have begun…" Reborn commented, noticing the damage. Dino and Dawn nodded.

"I hope they're all right…" Dino muttered.

"They will be." Reborn reassured the two of them. "If Tsuna can overpower Xanxus, then May should be able to use her own Judgment against Kincaid's Flame of Wrath."

They calmly walked down the hallway, and several squads of guards were charging at them.

"Gah!" They shouted. "More intruders! Are we being raided or something?"

"Che," Dino sighed in annoyance, and he pulled out a Pokeball so his trusty Rapidash pranced alongside him. He simultaneously removed a whip from the inside of his coat. Within minutes, the men attacking fell unconscious. Reborn was holding a green revolver in his hands, while Dawn was holding an black and purple version of his.

"Knockout bullets only," She reminded Reborn. "I don't want anyone killed. Except the madman, but I would like him alive when I find him."

"Okay, then." Reborn casually began strolling down the corridor, his eyes intent on keeping watch for more guards.


	26. A Ripple in the Rain

ecret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 26- A Ripple in the Rain

"Basil, you all right?" May called for her uncle through the dust that was building.

"Ugh… I'm fine…" He groaned softly, massaging his head. The platform flipped, and the two were sent falling many heights. Thanks to May's Tropius, they escaped death. But they smashed a pillar in the process.

"I wonder where this is…" Basil looked about the vast room. The room must have been a training ground, for there were targets everywhere, and several crates were lying around the room. Then a loud rumble rippled through the room.

"Not again!" May complained, but she gasped in horror as a strange transparent wall shot up from the ground and separated her from Basil.

"May!" Basil banged on the wall desperately. May wanted to yell back, but her senses told her that now wasn't the time. She slowly turned around to see the person she expected to see.

"Fufufufu…" He chuckled. "Long time no see, May-kun… Is your mom well?"

May didn't answer, and Kincaid chuckled as he stepped closer. Basil was still frantically yelling, his voice not making it through the sound proof walls.

"Not answering?" Kincaid sneered. "I don't think a young lady like you should be so naughty. I usually don't take silence for an answer…"

"…" May didn't say a word, slowly drawing her swords. Kincaid noticed the impressive gleam it bore.

"Such dangerous objects…" Kincaid laughed softly. "You sure you want be in trouble? You didn't run in the hallways, too, did you?"

He lifted a hand in front his face, and it began to flow orange with devastating power. May held back her wince.

"If you don't wish to answer." Kincaid took a closer approach. "I'll have to be bit less lenient."

"I won't let you…" May trailed off, and Blaziken came out by itself.

What's the problem, I felt your tension. Blaziken's fists were enveloped in fire.

We have a little problem… May answered back.

"Oh? You have a Pokemon with you?" Kincaid was surprised. "Guess what I have? All three orbs."

The man was then cackling as the red, blue, and green orbs floated down to their places behind their master. May could feel sweat forming in her palms. Her grip on the handles of the sword only tightened when she drew the swords out completely. Blaziken took the signal, and she too readied into a fighting stance.

"Your friends are also on the delicate scale of life or death…" Kincaid chuckled. "See?"

"Naïve…" Shelly snickered, and she began to use her last resort. Immediately, she began to throw the daggers, but it was a big mistake. Within a few seconds, Tory seemed to disappear from his position, and the daggers were useless again as they crashed onto the ground, losing its dangerous electric quality.

"No. You're the naïve one." Tory suddenly appeared from behind, and he gave the final blow. Shelly could only scream in severe pain as the electricity made its way throughout her body. Then Jolteon finished her own battle by giving off a large blast of electricity at Carnivine, and the monster limply fell to the ground.

"Che," Tory chuckled. "You used steel wire to make your daggers come back. The Jolteon gasped at the results, however.

Like the mist, Shelly began to turn into a cloud of dust, and then nothing was left of her. The only remainder of her was a strange orb of energy. It was green and giving off little sparks of electricity. The orb made a complete revolution about its new master, and then obediently jumped into the green gem of Tory's ring. The ring glowed in acknowledgement, and both Tory and Jolteon jumped.

"Yay! We think this is the Seal Kate was talking about!" They cried in unison, but both settled down.

But… Jolteon began. Why did Shelly disappear? For all we know, she obviously is not human…

Tory grimly looked at the empty space where Shelly used to be, and he sat down in contemplation. Then he perked up. The walls of the arena weren't down at all.

"Fufufufu…" The chuckle came back. "Your next quest is to find your little friends…"

"Wait." Tory interrupted. "You didn't kill them, did you?"

"Fufufufu…" Kincaid's face appeared on one of the monitors. "I thought the battle would be longer… Here."

A strange watch materialized from thin air and floated towards Tory, automatically clasping itself on Tory's wrist.

"You are to go about the base, and find your friends." The computer Kincaid repeated. "And at the same time, that watch displays what your friends are doing. Good bye!"

The image on the monitor flashed away, and Jolteon and Tory were already rushing down the stairs, only to be confronted by a group of grunts, both Aqua and Magma.

"Intruder!" They cried, and surprisingly, they drew out little swords and daggers at him. Tory smiled in response as he readied his staff, crackling with adrenaline.

"Whoa! That was a close one." Alex panted heavily, and then she noticed that the monitors turned on, showing May, Blaziken, Basil, and Kincaid; and Drew, Roserade and Maxie. Another was Rafe running with a Weaville in the hallway, while Tory and Jolteon were running in another. But the one monitor left had not turned on yet.

"Guys!" She yelled, but she ducked to dodge a kick that was meant for her head. Tabitha chuckled at the girl as she retaliated by sweeping her foot down on the girl.

Oi! Infernape yelled to warn his master, shielding himself from the Double Slap.

Alex was quick enough to notice, and she rolled over to the side, seeing the floor crack on the impact of the foot. Sweat was pouring down her face. It had been half an hour, and nothing was going well for her. But what worried her even more was that she could see everyone but Jaime and Kate.

"This isn't going to be good…" Kate muttered under her breath. She readied her Styler once she felt a murderous intent in the room. Jaime readied his Styler, and pulled out five sticks of dynamite with his other hand.

"Hm." A male voice came from behind Kate. Kate didn't gasp or shriek. She spun and swung her hand that was as flat as knife, hitting a stick of dynamite that was flying at her head. The destructive weapon hung in the air for a second, already diffused, and then it clattered to the steel-reinforced ground, cleanly sliced in half due to the impact of the woman's hands.

"Your tricks don't work on me." She called out boldly.

"Oh, is that so?" The voice chuckled. "I, the Storm, cannot be easily defeated."

"Says who!?" Jaime clutched his dynamite.

"Yeah," Kate followed up. "Keith, Barry's the right hand, and I'm third in command, not you."

"You wouldn't dare hit an old friend," the man stepped into the light to show himself. "Would you, Karen?"

The man had recognizable red spiky hair. He wore a large blue cape, hiding his whole set of Pokeballs and artillery. Who else could it be? It was Keith Smart, of course.

"Idiot…" Kate muttered under her breath again. "You're tampered with fake memories… And don't you dare call me Karen again."

"You had another name?" Keith chuckled. "Besides, the battle is between me and the angry boy, not you."

Kate's anger resolved to an understanding look. Her face contorted in rage was now a solemn, fathomless ghost of some sort.

"So be it." Kate let her hands drop. And she backed away, allowing a glass wall to slide in between her and the two battlers.

"You have skill?" Keith chuckled in a way only a possessed person could do. "It'll be less thrilling if you don't."

"Sure thing." Jaime snarled. "Double Bombs!"

Keith found himself surrounded by clusters of dynamite, and an explosion of dust caused him to shatter to the floor. Kate bit her lip in anxiety as she noticed that she could see the other battles through the monitors on the walls of the arena. May had already begun her Sky Battle with Kincaid.

"I hope boss gets here soon…"

May tried her best to catch her breath. So far, she and Blaziken had finally realized the power of the orbs. When the three are united, they could produced immense energy and fire it. The remote was Kincaid's orange flame that came from his hands. It was orange like May's but she sensed a totally different quality to it. Whatever it was, Kincaid didn't have to do anything at this point. The orbs were like a cannon with infinite ammunition. He didn't even have to move a single foot.

May stopped contemplating as she heard the same grumble from the orbs, the same one when it shoots a fireball. She spun around quickly to verify, and then immediately flew up, her swords crossed in an "X" formation in front of her, making the same protective sphere she used to save herself from the Phantom days ago. Blaziken followed suit and was hovering in mid-air as well. Kincaid then looked in surprise and chuckled.

"Oh?" He smiled. "You have a Sky Flame, too? I thought you had a Cloud flame, like Dawn, just that she had a Sky Flame, too, but it's even better now that you have one."

Huh? Blaziken looked at her master in confusion. Sky Flame? Earlier he was going on about a Sky Battle? What's wrong with this guy? Is that why Kate called him a lunatic? He's just lying about stuff.

"No…" May answered as the force field faded away while she was still floating. "I don't think he's lying. He seriously looks like he wants to kill us now."

"Grr…" Rafe was getting irritated. "Where can Ruka be? I'm gonna kill that bastard Kincaid if he does anything to her!"

You sound like you care for Ruka very much… Weaville teased and received a death glare from her master.

"Don't get funny!" He snarled waving a fist at her.

"Hey, hey…" A female voice came from behind him. "Don't be so mean to your Pokemon… You are a lot different than you were when I saw you at Canalave Library…"

"Could it be?" Rafe slowly turned around. Weaville's mouth dropped.

It's… it's… The Dark Pokemon didn't know what to say.

"Dawn?" A man with shaggy blond hair with a leather brown jacket looked at the Champion. "This is?"

"The Cloud Guardian." A baby in a suit and fedora with a lizard perched on the rim answered the question. "Rafe Peterson."

"Dawn?" Rafe gave the champion a questioning look. "Why are you here?"

"Because…" Dawn placed a hand on his shoulder with a cold, firm look in her eyes. "I am the Ninth of Berlitz. Please respect that."

"You… are… the…" Rafe stuttered, but the blond man stretched his hand out for a handshake.

"I'm Dino." He said briskly. "Just a close friend of Dawn's…"

"Kate told me about you," Rafe nodded. "You're the Tenth Cavallone boss."

Dino smiled at the impressive knowledge the latter had, and he pulled his arm away.

"Reborn." The baby introduced himself with a bow. "Did Kate tell you about me?"

"Yeah…" Rafe gaped at the baby Mafioso, still not believing his size. "I think I believe her now…"

"Well, then." Dawn turned to the halls to continue. "Let's find the Duelists. Their battle should be very interesting to watch."

"Where's everyone else, Rafe?" Dino asked earnestly. Rafe looked at the man straight in the eye.

"They are in their own individual battles." Rafe pressed a button on his watch, projecting a bunch of holograms displaying everyone else. Dawn observed May as the girl flipped backwards to dodge a blast of orange energy.

"So they all have begun…" Dawn nodded. "But the most difficult Guardian battle would be the Rain and the Storm. Drew must be having difficulty timing for his attacks. Keith will be hard to pull out of that control Kincaid's got on him."

"Wait…" Dino looked at the watch again more closely. "Keith's in battle already?"

"Hey, you shouldn't be running away!" Keith snickered as Jaime jumped upon a crate to dodge a knife. Jaime blocked another knife with his Styler and destroyed another set of knives with his dynamite. Kate was still watching earnestly at this battle and the Sky Battle.

May had been dodging earnestly, unable to hit back. She bit her lip even more…

"Sheesh!" Jaime was getting irritated with Keith's laughter and torturous fighting. Kate could only place her palms against the glass, for now she was in no position to stop this anymore. Then a patter of footsteps came up behind her. Kate didn't look back. She merely smiled.

"Grr!" Alex was rather frustrated by the footwork of Double Team. "Stop it already!"

Alex! Infernape called out to his master, landing a punch in his opponents face. Stay calm! Anger won't get you anywhere!

"Easy for you to say!" Alex's eyes were flickering with fire, and immediately, she herself was doing the same Double Team footwork, and she knocked out every copy of her opponent out. She had finally figured out how to do that, and that will be a complete secret.

"This is for putting my friends in trouble!" She finally found the real Tabitha, and she landed the final punch in the face. Tabitha grunted in pain, and for some reason, the woman turned to dust, and an orb of yellow blazing energy entered Alex's ring. The lights outside the cage turned on, and the exit was visible. Infernape gave a final back kick into Hitmonchan's stomach, knocking it out.

"Let's go." Alex clasped a camera watch on her wrist. She had found it out of nowhere on the ground, but she already knew what it was. "We've got the others to tend to…"

"They should be here." Dawn felt her way on the wall, with Dino and Rafe looking in worry. Immediately she must have sensed something. She took a step back, watching the wall with such concentration; no one would beat her in a staring contest right now.

"Rua and Ruka… They've won the Duel." Dawn closed her eyes, and the wall she touched last melted away like ice cream on a hot day, and the twins they had been looking for were walking up to Dawn with a wide smile on their faces.

"We have the Seal thingy." Rua explained, holding his orchid-engraved ring. But Dawn and Rafe could tell that the twins were pale in the face.

"Good." Dawn smiled. "The Mists, the Sun, the Thunder, and the Cloud have been obtained."

"Hey, Rafe!" Tory's voice was rather distant, but the guy was only a few yards away. Everyone turned to see the panting boy.

"Dawn? You're here, too?" Tory brushed a strand of silver hair from his face. "We could have had backup!"

"I was busy with other businesses…" Dawn excused herself. Then Tory's eyes flashed a flicker of interest (apparently, only Rafe knows who Dawn really was). Then he remembered something.

"The person I was fighting with… she turned to dust… Why is that-"

"Dust?" Ruka jumped. "That's what happened to the person we were Dueling. His cards were all Earthbound Immortals and really hard Synchro Monsters!"

"Then we defeated the guy," Rua continued the story. "And then he turned to dust! Like those Dark Signers we fought a long time ago!"

"What?" Dino shouted in surprise. "Dust!? You don't mean that the psycho still has that Influence thing!?"

Tory, Rafe, Rua, and Ruka looked at the other three in confusion.

"Sorry…" Dawn muttered. "He still does… The Power of Influence allows the user to form illusions… Not just any illusions, but real. Tangible. Living. Illusions. With emotions, unlike normal real ones other illusionists can make. They will think that they are real, but they are not. I know. The Power of Influence is a cruel thing, but very seldom in people. Thank god that this base is rather small… The battle arenas are very close to each other…"

"Hey…" Dino commented, pointing at the wall opposite the one where Rua and Ruka had emerged from. "Try this wall… The Storm should be through here…"

"Hm…" Dawn looked at it more closely, and then let it melt away. "You're right. It's Kate right there…"

The pigtailed woman didn't turn around. She was tapping her fingers on the wall expectantly as Tory could see Jaime dodge another knife. Everyone was suddenly thinking that this battle was going overhand once again. Dino then turned around to leave.

"I need to see where Drew and Alex are…" He declared. Rafe nodded and followed after him. When the other teens tried to follow, Reborn stopped them from taking another step. Although they were surprised that a baby could do such a thing, they remained silent, their eyes asking for a reason for this madness.

"Dino and Rafe can handle this on their own… Right now, before you guys get started on getting to May… We need to save both of these two people."

He pointed to Jaime and Keith, who were furiously fighting at long distances. That is, until Jaime finally got impatient and was now in close combat with Keith, who was easily dodging every jab.

The Leaf Storm dispersed into rows and rows of razor sharp leaves were surrounding all of them, pointing at Maxie, who immediately stopped in awe of Drew's newfound ability.

"Oh? You're rather brilliant, for someone who was given a style that was already defeated ages ago!"

"You don't even all of my forms, idiot." Drew twisted his sword to a new position again. He kept a close eye on the monitor with May.

"Then show me! A sphere of leaves is no use, you know!" Maxie then let out a battle cry, and began charging with his pair of steel sticks. Drew stood still, his blade hanging horizontally in front of him.

"Hm." Drew smirked, and then he gave a huge sweep through the water, causing a big wave of water to rise between him and Maxie. Maxie continued to charge, but he faltered back when he was getting numerous cuts on his arms. He took a step back to notice.

"Wha…"

"This is a Defensive Form," Drew smirked. "And an Offensive Form as well. The Bloom of the Rose is a form in which I make a wave of water with my katana, and then Roserade's combination of Razor Leaf and Leaf Storm are embedded into my water barrier. Well, that's only part of it… for now… I haven't really completed form yet. I still don't what to do with the sphere…"

"I knew it…" Maxie laughed. "Now that you showed me your new but incomplete stuff… I don't have to worry anymore!"

Drew scowled, but Roserade remained at the ready.

Don't lose faith, Drew. She reminded him. May is counting on you.

"I know that…" Drew scowled.

"May!" Basil shouted desperately. May was losing at this point for sure. Every single sweep she tried to throw at Kincaid, the blades would somehow come into contact with the orbs the man wielded, and May was unable to go any further. What she noticed though, after witnessing the current victories her friends were getting, the orbs were getting small cracks. This was a good sign, was it?

"Getting scared?" Kincaid sneered. He hadn't even moved from his place since the battle started. May was hiding her irritation behind her calm mask. The two landed softly on the ground.

"You. Wish." She snarled. Blaziken let out a yelp of agreement

"Fufufufu… Naïve, May-kun, and you too, little chicken," He snickered. "Now you will have to face my full force."

"Huh?" Basil wondered. "It can't be…"

May and Blaziken was staring at the enormous amount of orange energy being projected at her. Blaziken was fading away as she returned to her Pokeball for some reason. Basil could only yell and scream for her to move, for he knew what this flame was. But the soundproof walls blocked all noise from outside, and May didn't hear anything. Her eyes remained fixed in fear, too scared to tell herself to back away.


	27. The Mist Sets In

Secret of the Earth and Sky!

Chapter 27- The Mist Sets In

"How do we stop them?" Ruka asked intently. She winced again as Jaime was punched squarely in the face. Without his Partner Pokemon or any Pokemon to capture, Jaime was surely very vulnerable, even with his dynamite and knives.

"We must do what is necessary." Dawn explained. She turned to Kate. "You ready?"

"I was waiting for you, you know?" Kate smiled.

"Okay, then." Dawn lifted her hands, and formed the same exact flame May had.

"Kate and Dawn need some space…" Reborn added to the others watching. "You better back away."

"What are they doing?" Rua asked, noticing Dawn's eyes were glowing purple, her hands coated with the same orange flames as May. Kate's eyes were the same behavior as well, but her hands were coated with blue flames.

"This is the process of breaking away from control." Reborn explained.

Meanwhile, Keith was suddenly standing still, his eyes in a strange deep trance for a few seconds. Jaime noticed this, and froze in deep shock...

"Where am I?" Keith stuttered in disbelief. He seemed to be in a different arena now. His opponent was nowhere to be seen. Several of his subordinates were facing someone else in the room nearby the pool of water. Keith was stunned at who was there. His lips curled into a smile.

Kate clutched her left arm in pain as a Lanturn was then returned. She could barely stand now that she had been electrocuted twice. Her brown pigtails were completely disheveled now. Her eyes were barely staying open. She could barely see, but she tried her best to keep her eyes on Keith. She was not ready to fall.

"Keith…" She groaned pleadingly. "Please… remember me…"

The Keith looked in disbelief, but then certain memories were returning to him. Since when was Commander Karen like this?

"Hey." A brown haired girl stopped beside him at the creeks at Pokemon Academy. A nearby Swablu was chirping happily on a blooming branch of a sakura tree. A patch of Gracidea flowers was rippling in the cool Hoenn breeze. Keith looked up in wonder at the girl… He didn't know that this girl would be the one to help with homework and everything in between…

The image blurred over and over again, as if another door in his head was opening. Keith stared even further into the fathomless eyes of the girl.

This dream was even more bizarre than the first. He wasn't the man who supposed to be a top rank in Team Aqua, the guy who was the best athlete in Pokemon Academy. He was a ranger. And his partner was an energetic and trustworthy Buizel. Keith didn't remember being a Ranger.

The same exact girl he had seen was sitting beside him on a seemingly unfamiliar beach. They weren't at Pokemon academy anymore. She even wore a different uniform. As a matter of fact, she was probably more boyish than her other counterpart.

"What do you think, Kate?" He felt himself saying. "Tomorrow's graduation."

"I'm pretty excited." Kate smiled. "But still, it's sad that you're going to Fiore, while I'm going to Almia."

"Is that so?" Keith chuckled, mindlessly inching his hand closer to the girl's.

"Yeah…" Kate looked away. "Just remember, you'll come back if any trouble happens."

"I will." Keith smiled against his will. This was a dream. Not a real memory, was it? No. It was the truth. The first memories of Pokemon Academy were tampered. They were fake.

Flashes of those blue eyes that he treasured to see every day when he was at the Union and the adventure he had gotten himself in… but then he was himself again, and he pointed maliciously.

"Drown her." He commanded. Kate gave a glance of failure, but she remained calm. It was one way or another. The Empoleon charged at her, while she just stood there, unmoving. The Ranger was then launched into the air and then her body slapped the surface of the water in the tank.

Kate didn't bother save her breath, for she was too weak to hold it in. Immediately the last bits of air fell away in tiny bubbles as Kate slowly lost her vision, and was drifting down. The admin and the grunts followed her down the elevator, watching their nemesis falter. Her pigtails flowed limply in the water, just like her arms and the rest of her body. Her mind went completely blank and then it was total black.

Kevin always wanted to kill his opponents, but as his grunts watched in delight, something struck him like a lightning bolt. That woman in the tank was someone he had known so well… someone he had vowed to protect… but then what was he doing here? He noticed he was surrounded by several grunts.

"Isn't this great, Kevin?" one of the grunts laughed and glanced at him, playfully punching him like a best friend would do.

He wasn't Kevin! He was Keith! He then looked at his hands in shock. He had forgotten his name, too? He looked about the descending elevator in surprise as the doors opened to reveal a full view of the tank. Keith was agonized by what he saw the moment he saw who was in the tank.

It couldn't be… but it was her…

"NO!" He shouted with great vigor and he was in a fury. He knocked out all the grunts with no reason whatsoever, and shoved them back into the elevator. Then he put on his Micro Aqualung, and began using his Weaville to break the glass. Promptly returning it just as the room began to flood with water. He jumped through the hole in the glass wall, and began forcefully kicking all the way up to Kate.

Just as he reached her, he dragged her body up, and broke surface, with Kate's head bobbing in the water with his. The two reached shore, sopping wet, and then he placed her with her head and back against the wall. Her Styler had clattered off next to her. Her eyes were completely shut. Her uniform was ripped. She was everything that Keith didn't want her to be. Again.

How could you let this happen to her, Keith? He screamed at himself. HOW!?

She wasn't breathing or moving… The air was barely even keeping her alive as she began to breathe heavily. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to see her old Partner again.

"You… remembered…" She whispered, and Keith pulled her close.

"What happened to you?" Keith forced his words out. He couldn't bear to see her in such a state.

"You…" She moaned and tried to move, but she yelped in pain. Keith kept his arms around him as her head leaned on him. He knew what he had done, and he didn't want it to be repeated again.

"May…" She muttered to him, "She… is here…"

Keith was back at the arena once again. Jaime was fuming furiously, as if Keith had been gone for only a few seconds. Dawn and Kate were normal again, and they were staring at him from behind a glass wall with several other people, including Reborn… Huh? What was the Arcobaleno doing here?

He turned from Jaime to Kate. He knew what was going on now… yet he was too focused to notice any of the other monitors…

Jaime was getting ready to throw another knife at him, when the other raised a hand. The first stopped and resigned, putting his knife away once Keith had given him a Pokeball.

"Your… Seal…" Keith explained apologetically. "Please take it. I don't want any trouble."

Jaime's breathing hitched, and then he was normal again. He was rather weak from Keith's dynamites and knives, which Jaime's arsenal was no match for. He shakily reached out, and the Pokeball immediately opened. A flash of red light entered Jaime's red ring, and it glowed. The others stared in surprise.

"Reborn?" Ruka asked. "How did Dawn do that?"

"Well." Reborn began. "Dawn's flame is like May's. It is the Flame of Judgment, the power of the Gifted to the highest degree. The Power of Judgment, whose ability is to bring harmony and peace, is very potent, when combined with her own Dying Will flame."

"Dying Will?" Ruka questioned those words, and then he nodded once he remembered. "Yusei told me about it before… I'm not so strong on that subject."

"Each person endowed with the Flame of Judgment each has his or her own ability, Retain being the most common." Reborn continued. "By harmony and peace, Dawn's special Gifted ability is to Retain and Transform. I'm sure you know what it means. Hm? The Storm match has ended."

"Keith!" Kate ran out into the arena once the glass wall melted away. Keith probably was constricted when his wife hugged him again.

"Kate…" He placed his hand on her back as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm… I'm sorry… I didn't get to see you again… properly…"

"It's okay…" Kate looked up at him. Gosh. She was still a head shorter than him now.

"Sorry…" Keith grimaced again.

"It's okay…" Dawn explained, and Keith looked up and nodded understandingly. Then his eyes wore a face of shock when he saw what was in the cloud of smoke on the monitors. It was May's battle, and something had gone seriously wrong…

"WHAT THE HELL!" He yelled, pointing at the monitors furiously. "Why is she there!? Like this!?"

Everyone gasped in shock. In minutes everyone was shouting names.

"Wait." Dawn calmed the atmosphere within seconds, impressing Tory and Rua. Reborn was far too used to her powerful charisma. "Drew has not finished his battle."

Kate settled down, along with Reborn and the others, but Keith was still hysterical. He angrily turned to Dawn.

"Why!?" He shouted. "Why did you put my daughter into this?! The Trials are too dangerous for her! The Guardians are easy, but-"

"It's not my fault." Dawn coldly answered. "Neither is it yours, or Kate's. It was Kincaid's fault to embed the powers of the Judgment into the girl with the DNA of Mewtwo and that other experiment during the Team Rocket mission. Your daughter would have no choice but to battle anyway, with or without the experimenting. She's been chosen to do this since birth. Kincaid only enhanced her ability."

Keith's anger didn't fade away.

"You brought Dino along?" He asked calmly, finally.

"Yes, he's going after the Guardians of the Rain and the Sun." Dawn explained. "He and the Cloud Guardian should have found Alex by now…"

"Hm…" Kate wondered in contemplation.

Alex? Infernape asked in question as his master was staggering on the floor. You okay?

"I'm fine…" She moaned. "Just help me up."

"Here, Alex." A kind, soothing voice came to her. Her half-lidded eyes looked up. A man with blond short hair was standing above her, his arms outstretched. His face… reminded Alex of something…

"Who… are you?" Alex took the hand graciously, and she was back on her feet again. She rubbed her eyes so she could see clearly again. Rafe was beside her as well, hoisting her up.

"Dino." He briskly answered. "I'm here to help you find the others."

"They are fine now." Alex nodded, showing that she was holding the same exact watch that Rafe was in possession of.

"Drew is the one who needs to be tended to." Rafe concluded. Alex nodded.

"If we get all the Seals," Alex explains. "May will be less troubled."

Dino was rather surprised by the girl's knowledge, and he looked about the empty corridor.

"You didn't come along any extra guards, did you?" Dino asked warily. Alex shook her head.

"I must be lucky or something." She answered. Rafe sighed in relief, knowing that he and Tory had eliminated them all. It was rather stupid of Kincaid, to put guards in the front door rather than around the perimeters. It was stupid unless he was confident that he and his top subordinates would win…

"Here…" Dino helped her limp across to a pair of automatic doors with Infernape. "The Rain should be here…"

"Hm?" Alex and Rafe were looking at the glass wall and event behind it. She then noticed May's battle on the monitor. Alex could've screamed in horror, but she was losing her voice from shouting. Drew was tired, and he was close to tears. His arm wore a long gash of blood, as if he had been beaten down severely by Maxie, who actually did do what was said. Drew couldn't bear both events.

He was losing. And the Sky Battle was even worse.

"May! May!" Basil screamed, not caring if his voice came through. The smoke had finally cleared, and the worst scenario was at hand.

There was May, battered and bruised. The collar of her polo shirt was ripped apart. The bottom ends of her shirt were burnt, and her cuts from the blast were visible even from a long distance. Her brown hair was disheveled. Her bandanna and her gloves were burnt away fully. There was no sign of their existence at all. May's eyes were closed, so it would mean the worst.

Kincaid only laughed maniacally. "This! This is what you scum get for crossing my path. No one can defeat the power of the Orbs!"

May remained on the pit formed by the blast. She was still there, motionless, barely alive. Her swords were bent from the immense temperatures of the last fireball, yet she herself was still intact.

The girl was barely hanging on to consciousness. Her body screamed about the excruciating pain that thundered throughout her body and mind. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. Yet she was still alive. Was this what Gary meant by corrosion-free on the clothing?

But she had lost, had she?

Sorry… May desperately thought. I'm sorry…

She then remembered when Max gave her that silver Gracidea necklace and what he said about it before she left. She herself had something to say as well...

"I was supposed to give this to you a long time ago…" Max admitted, "Mom wanted to give you this before you left the Gym. She said it was a good luck charm."

May could only smile at the little boy that was once her younger brother. She gratefully took it, and clasped it on her neck.

"Thank you, Max." She bent down to hug the boy, who was actually crying slightly.

"Please," Max choked on her tears. "I know that I'm not your brother anymore, but I hope you can see this charm Mom gave you as a symbol of the friendship we had as siblings… not just us! I think I should saythe friendship with everyone we had met since the time the two of us left Slateport City with Drew."

May trembled at those words… "I… I won't fail…"

The laughter of her brutal opponent echoed mercilessly throughout her head as her eyes opened halfway for a second, and then gradually closed. She was slowly fading away…

"Sorry…" She said hoarsely and silently with her supposed last inch of strength. "Sorry… everyone… I'm sorry…"

Everyone was horrified by the situation as they gaped at the monitors.

The only two people who didn't show a sign of fear were Dawn, Dino, and Reborn. All three understood what the new process was taking place.

Dawn commented quietly to Reborn. "The Acceptance Ceremony is beginning."

"Ah," Reborn acknowledged the remark. "And the trial will completely end."


	28. The Sun Shines Again

**Secret of the Earth and Sky!**

Chapter 28- The Sun Shines Again

"No…"

Drew shook his head in disbelief. More importantly, he was rather guilty of himself. He saw the worried forms of Alex, Rafe, and another blond man at the spectator box of the battle arena, and the distraught figures of everyone else. His battered body was struggling to stay on his feet, yet his grip on his katana remained firm as stone.

He had failed, had he? He had made a promise that he would protect his friends, and here he had failed. Why? Why was he not able to help? Was it his inability to finish his tasks? Was it his way of thinking? He had failed to save her when Team Aqua tried to take her away. He had failed to reconcile with her after that, too. He had failed to help her when that Beedrill beat her down, even though she came out of it barely unscathed. Now he had failed to keep her alive…

But fear not! A bright light appeared to him in his mind. Could May be still alive? If she is, he would have a chance!

"I…I must fulfill my promise! May, you're still alive! Hang in there!"

"Keith…" Kate clutched the front of Keith's shirt as he held her close. It was unusual for her to cower in fear like this; she was usually the one who made others cower in fear. It was not normal for him to cry, either. He felt the salty liquid slide down from his watery eyes. He never wanted this to happen, but it was fate that tied him and his family to this ordeal.

"May…" Ruka and Rua said at the same time, hoping that somehow May was still holding on to the last string of life.

"Please, Ancient Fairy Dragon," Ruka clasped her hands together as in prayer. "Help May, and us…"

Tory rubbed his swollen eyes. Of all people… he and his friends were the ones to get the big blow.

Jaime scoffed at the monitor.

"Bastard…" he muttered. It was definitely not amusing to see that a man like Kincaid would go past such limits to gain power…

"I want to show that bastard what justice tastes like…" he growled fiercely, and his hand that wore the red ring balled into a fist in front of him.

Dino gaped… She can't be dead… she couldn't… Alex's eyes quivered with the verge of tears, but she calmly watched the monitor with a strange sense of hope.

"She'll be fine…" She said quietly. Rafe and Dino diverted their attention to her.

"Why do you say that?" Dino asked. Alex smiled.

"She's not as soft as you think…" She said. "I got firsthand experience with that…"

"Well…" Dino considered the thought. "A friend of mine had been in this situation before, but he survived because of his resolution was like no other. The only way May can live through this is if she has a resolution to do so."

"She does." Rafe jumped in. Dino looked at the boy.

"May has that resolution, right?" He explained. "Alex, you remember when we were discussing stuff after training, right? Well, May had told us, that if we needed, we could give her a line. But that doesn't look like it could work now. But the important part was that she said that she would put her life on the line for us."

"She and I may not know about what these guardian battles mean." Alex added. "Nor do we know about what these rings are for, but we know it's for a good cause. If it means to stop power from falling into the wrong hands, then our resolution… May's, Drew's, the twins', Rafe's, Jaime's, and mine… that is our resolution."

Dino could not speak at Alex's conclusion. The Berlitz Sun Guardian, like always, was the one to shine hope to the sky.

"Well…" Hikari smiled. "She knows what her Guardians feel now…"

"Yes…" Reborn added. "But she still needs to see something else…"

"Oh! How long will they take! A little morning walk isn't five hours!"

"Luna…" Rui sighed. "Please calm down… they probably got detoured."

Rui was busy mending her husband's coat with a thimble and needle at hand. Luna slumped on her seat at the dining table. The blue haired ranger was frustrated that she missed out on a mission. She hated when that happened. But she was worried sick about everyone.

"Please… come back…" She whispered.

"Max…" Wes wistfully watched as the little boy stared at the monitors with huge eyes. Gary had been able to tap into the systems so they could watch. Upon hearing that, Max begged both men to let him watch how his former sister was doing. Now they regretted that they allowed the young boy who should be innocent to see this.

Max clenched his fists. "May is going to get up! I know so!"

"But…" Gary tried to reason, but he couldn't find any.

"She told me she wouldn't fail!" the boy cried exasperatedly. "I know she'll hit that bad guy! I know it!"

"We can only hope, Max…" Wes narrowed his eyes. "Just hope…"

The TV report of the Pokemon Center was on for everyone to see.

/Strangely, today's breaking news is quite a commotion./ the reporter said. /Reports of loud rumbling and explosions taking place at Leoni Creek Forest is popping up at huge numbers. All squads of the PLE have been sent to investigate the cause, but Sinnoh Champion Dawn Platinum has immediately cut all investigations, claiming that she will deal with the matter herself. She has left the baffled the police officers into the forest with two unnamed people, but after three hours, she has not returned. Apparently, another squad of PLE led by Chief Looker has come from Sinnoh. All the other squads have been evacuated out of range for inspection./

A black haired man stared at the screen where Dawn's face appeared. His lips pursed into a thin line. He was rather angry that she didn't tell him that he could come help…

"I hope the Tenth is okay… and you, too, Ninth…"

"Come on…" Basil banged his tired fist against the wall. He had resorted to using his triangular sword, but no avail.

"On the count of ten…"

"Gokudera… you shouldn't have let us see…" Mitsumi watched the silver haired man scoff. She was used to his attitude. Her boss, the Eighth Berlitz, was always like that in the mornings…

"Well, Reborn and Dawn would've showed us anyways…"

"Yeah…" Barry sighed. Gokudera stood up and pointed accusingly at the Elite Four member.

"Don't just say, 'Yeah'!" He shouted. "You should be glad Dawn annexed you under us Vongola, okay? Why should I let you be Juudaime's secondary external advisor, you bas-"

"Hey… hey…" A brown spiky haired man calmly told the other. "We're in a crisis, now… don't maximize the problem by causing a commotion in this mansion."

"Sorry… Juudaime…" Gokudera calmly sat down, but he glared at Barry, who coldly shook it off. Mitsumi sighed. _To think that these two were the ones who succeeded in finishing that mission in Johto… impossible…_

"We can't do anything…" Yusei thumbed his deck, his Stardust Dragon at the top of the pile. A magenta haired woman beside him shook her head.

"Any comments, Tsuna?" She asked.

"None, Aki…" Tsuna laid back, his eyes furrowing in worry… "I just hope she pulls through safely… My own trial was just as exhausting…"

"Guys…" May gasped. She seemed to be in the middle of nothingness, excluding the strange portal window that allowed her to see what her friends were doing. She heard every word they said and thought. Their feelings surged into her head as they talked. This way, she would understand everything that she was fighting for. The protection of her friends…

Before, she wanted to defeat Kincaid, but that was not the right goal… After contemplating it… she realized… she was fighting for her friends. If she lost here, she would have to witness the terror that Kincaid could possibly place on the friends she had trusted for so long, the person who had taught her to fight, and her parents whom she had been separated from for so long… She knew she could not let go of that. Never in her lifetime.

"Good…" A female voice appeared. "You have your resolution."

May jumped. She knew this voice too well!

"D-Dawn? Where are you!?"

"Here…" Another voice appeared. It was man's voice, but it seemed very well bored. "We were waiting for you…"

The area of nothingness turned partly into a hue that was close to the color of the noon sky. May let her feet fall into place upon a strange surface that she could not see, but could stand on. She then noticed that a eight people were walking towards her. They stopped, forming a circle and allowing the light to shine down upon their former silhouettes. May gasped. All nine of them were clad in suits.

The first one May set her eyes upon was a woman with brown mousy hair that was cut to her shoulders. Her eyes were blue, like May, and her serene smile has giving May a sense of welcome. Her front coat was unbuttoned, showing her tie that flopped on her light orange dress shirt. May saw a brown horse embroidered on the ebony black tie. The woman lifted her hands, revealing a golden lasso that was coated with the flames that May used.

Second was a rather different woman in contrast to the first. Her eyes were blue as well, but more sharp and piercing. Her blue hair was short, but at the back of her head, long navy locks billowed down to her waist. If May could compare this woman with everyone else, she was probably the one with the tidiest suit.


End file.
